FROM  THE  BOOKS  OF 


Ernest  William  Syme  Scully 


THE     EPISCOPALIANS 


THE  OLD  NARRAGANSETT  CHURCH. 


'The  Story  of  the  Churches 


The  Episcopalians 


By 
DANIEL  DULANY  ADDISON 

Author    of   "Lucy    Larcom:    Life,    Letters,    and 

Diary  " ,-  "Life  and  Times  of  Edward  Bass, 

First     Bishop     of    Massachusetts"; 

"The  Clergy  in  America,  Life 

and  Letters"  etc. 


NEW  YORK:    THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO. 
33-37  EAST  SEVENTEENTH  ST.,  UNION  SQ.  NORTH 


Copyright,  1904, 

By 

THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  Co. 
Published,  September,  1904 


Publishers'   Note 

The  aim  of  this  series  is  to  furnish  a  uniform 
set  of  church  histories,  brief  but  complete, 
and  designed  to  instruct  the  average  church 
member  in  the  origin,  development,  and  his- 
tory of  the  various  denominations.  Many 
church  histories  have  been  issued  for  all  de- 
nominations, but  they  have  usually  been 
volumes  of  such  size  as  to  discourage  any 
but  students  of  church  history.  Each  vol- 
ume of  this  series,  all  of  which  will  be 
written  by  leading  historians  of  the  various 
denominations,  will  not  only  interest  the 
members  of  the  denomination  about  which 
it  is  written,  but  will  prove  interesting  to 
members  of  other  denominations  as  well 
who  wish  to  learn  something  of  their  fellow 
workers.  The  volumes  will  be  bound  uni- 
formly, and  when  the  series  is  complete  will 
make  a  most  valuable  history  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 


SRLg 

URU, 


Contents 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.    THE  EPISCOPALIANS 9 

II.    THE    BEITISH   AND   EARLY   ENGLISH 

CHURCH.  34 

III.    THE  NORMAN  CHURCH 57 

IT.    THE  REFORMATION 77 

V.    EARLY    DAYS    OF   THE    CHURCH    IN 

AMERICA 118 

VI.    THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 143 

VII.  AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 172 

VIII.  NINETEENTH  CENTURY 191 

IX.    PROGRESS    .  ...  223 


The  Episcopalians 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  EPISCOPALIANS 

THE  church  of  Christ  is  the  visible  repre- 
sentative of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
There  are  many  branches  of  the  church 
of  Christ,  each  drawing  inspiration  from 
him  as  the  head  and  aim-ing  to  establish 
brotherhood  among  men  in  different  or- 
ganizations,— varied  because  of  human  his- 
tory and  character,  and  diverse  by  reason 
of  race,  training,  and  temperament. 

The    Episcopalian  is  a  member  of  the 

church  of  Christ,  and  a  follower  of  the 

Saviour,  who  tries  to  lead  a  Christian  life. 

He  has  become  a  member  of  the  church  by 

9 


lo  The  Episcopalians 

baptism,  confirmation,  and  the  acceptance 
of  the  Apostles'  Creed  as  the  rule  of  faith 
according  to  the  authority  and  methods  of 
the  historic  church  of  the  English-speaking 
people;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Anglican 
Communion,  which  in  America  has  been 
called  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and 
belongs  to  the  Catholic  and  Apostolic 
church  founded  by  Christ  which  developed 
distinguishing  characteristics  in  England 
from  the  earliest  days,  and  was  planted  in 
America  in  the  colonial  period  as  a  mission 
of  the  Church  of  England.  The  Episco- 
palian, through  his  visible  church  in  America, 
shares  the  privileges  and  riches  of  the 
Church  of  England;  and  from  this  ancient 
church  enjoys  the  benefits  and  sacred  gifts 
which  God  bestows  upon  mankind  in  the 
continuous  Apostolic  Church,  established 
by  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

The  church  in  America  is  called  Protestant 
Episcopal,  a  name  adopted  after  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  to  indicate  two  elements  of 


The  Episcopalians  1 1 

its  life:  first,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
Church  of  Rome,  against  certain  methods 
of  which  it  protested;  and  second,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  non-Episcopal  churches, 
because  it  possessed  the  apostolical  order 
of  bishops.  While  no  name  can  com- 
pletely define  an  organization  this  title 
indicates  the  position,  of  the  church  as 
independent  of  the  Church  of  Rome  and  as 
being  apostolic  in  continuing  the  form  and  I 
polity  of  the  primitive  church  of  Christ,  j 
After  the  Revolution  it  was  necessary  for 
the  scattered  parishes  of  the  Church  of 
England  to  organize  into  a  church  and 
adopt  a  name  by  which  it  would  be  known 
in  law;  and  this  name,  having  been  pre- 
viously used  both  in  England  and  America, 
was  selected. 

The  Episcopal  Church  has  three  orders  in 
the  ministry:  bishops,  priests  and  deacons, 
because  of  the  belief  expressed  in  the 
preface  to  the  Consecration  Service  that 
"it  is  evident  unto  all  men  diligently  read- 


12  The  Episcopalians 

ing  Holy  Scripture  and  ancient  authors  that 
from  the  apostles'  time  there  have  been 
these  three  orders  of  ministers  in  Christ's 
church."  There  is  no  dogma  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  Episcopate;  but  the  bishops  as 
successors  of  the  apostles  are  considered  to 
be  their  representatives  and  to  witness  to 
the  truth,  and,  through  the  ordination  of 
priests  and  deacons  and  the  consecration 
of  other  bishops,  to  insure  the  perpetuity 
of  the  church  and  to  give  evidence  of  its 
historical  continuity.  The  church  has  never 
adopted  any  theory  of  the  grace  of  orders; 
individuals  have  their  own  theories.  The 
fact  of  an  unbroken  line  of  bishops  back  to 
apostolic  times  is  accepted;  and  this  indi- 
cates that  every  bishop  and  priest  and  dea- 
con, by  prayer  and  the  Imposition  of 
Hands,  is  sent  forth  for  his  work  by  lawful 
authority.  Jesus  evidently  intended  to  es- 
tablish an  organization.  He  selected  a 
definite  number  of  apostles,  the  twelve. 
When  there  was  a  break  in  the  ranks  other 


The  Episcopalians  13 

men  were  especially  set  apart.  The  ex- 
egencies  of  the  church  soon  gave  rise  to  a 
more  fully  developed  institution.  The 
apostles  appointed  presbyters;  and  dea- 
cons, as  assistants,  were  ordained.  The 
germ  of  the  threefold  ministry  is  to  be 
found  in  the  New  Testament.  The  first 
two  centuries  of  the  early  church  give 
ample  proof  that  this  system  was  uni- 
versally adopted,  and  continued  to  be  the 
unfailing  method  until  the  formation  of 
Separatist  Churches  after  the  Reformation. 
The  Episcopalian  not  only  believes  that  the 
threefold  ministry  follows  primitive  prac- 
tice; he  also  thinks  it  is  a  system  well 
adapted  for  efficiency  and  for  the  well- 
being  of  the  church.  It  provides  a  head 
and  many  members, — a  centralizing  force 
with  indefinite  power  of  extension. 

As  to  the  ministry  of  other  churches: 
many  Episcopalians  hold  that  the  orders  are 
valid  and  that  they  have  done  and  are  doing 
work  for  Christianity  which  has  been 


14  The  Episcopalians 

greatly  blessed,  but  they  regret  that  schism 
and  separation  arose  and  look  forward  to 
the  day  when  there  will  be  union  again. 
There  are  other  Episcopalians  who  believe 
more  firmly  in  the  grace  of  orders  and  who 
hold  that  the  ministry  of  the  Separatist 
Churches  is  both  irregular  and  invalid.  It 
must  be  always  remembered  that  there  are 
these  two  interpretations  among  members 
of  the  church,  but  that  the  church  has  never 
stated  that  other  ministries  are  invalid. 
The  theories  held  by  groups  of  men  within 
the  church  must  never  be  mistaken  for  the 
attitude  of  the  church  itself. 

The  bishop  is  the  overseer  and  manager 
of  his  diocese  like  the  president  of  a  great 
corporation  or  the  governor  of  a  state.  The 
diocese  is  a  group  of  parishes,  sometimes 
coterminous  with  the  state  in  size;  some- 
times a  state  will  be  divided  into  two  or 
more  dioceses.  The  diocese  has  a  constitu- 
tion and  a  convention  to  which  delegates 
both  clerical  and  lay  are  sent  from  the  dif- 


The  Episcopalians  15 

ferent  parishes.  A  union  of  the  dioceses 
with  their  bishops  makes  up  the  church  in 
America,  just  as  the  separate  states  uniting 
under  the  federal  constitution  constitute  the 
nation.  The  church  is  thus  a  related  and 
organic  whole  with  power  to  legislate  and 
govern  in  the  General  Convention  which 
meets  every  three  years,  where  each 
diocese  is  represented  by  the  bishops 
and  delegates  from  the  clergy  and  lay- 
men. This  system  is  the  opposite  of 
that  which  maintains  that  the  independent 
congregation  has  the  sole  right  to  legislate 
for  itself  as  is  the  method  with  the  Congre- 
gationalists.  The  polity  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  is  more  like  that  of  the  United 
States  of  America.  It  is  representative  gov- 
ernment. Each  parish  is  represented  by 
the  vote  of  the  people  in  the  diocese  and 
each  diocese  is  represented  in  the  General 
Convention,  which  has  two  Houses,  the 
House  of  Bishops  and  the  House  of  Depu- 
ties, corresponding  to  the  Senate  and  the 


16  The  Episcopalians 

House  of  Representatives.  This  similarity 
in  democratic  methods  between  the  church 
and  the  nation  arose  from  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  men  who  during  the  Revolu- 
tion and  after  it  were  instrumental  in 
organizing  the  church  also  helped  to  found 
the  nation.  A  large  majority  of  those  who 
signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
were  churchmen.  Washington,  Hamilton, 
Marshall,  Morris,  Franklin  and  many  others 
who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  United 
States  were  Episcopalians.  It  was  natural, 
therefore,  that  the  men  who  were  organiz- 
ing two  institutions  at  the  same  time  should 
have  constructed  them  on  similar  lines. 
The  Episcopalian  takes  great  satisfaction  in 
the  democratic  and  representative  form  of 
his  government  which  corresponds  to  his 
national  ideals. 

The  Episcopal  Church  is  no  more  a  bish- 
op's church  than  a  layman's  church,  for 
both  have  well  defined  duties  and  rights. 
The  layman  has  great  power  in  the  manage- 


The  Episcopalians  17 

ment  of  the  parish  and  the  calling  of  his 
minister.  The  Vestry,  composed  entirely 
of  laymen,  is  the  executive  and  prudential 
body  in  the  parish.  The  layman's  voice  is 
heard  in  the  diocesan  convention,  in  the 
election  of  a  bishop  and  in  the  councils  of 
the  general  church.  The  influence  of  the 
layman  is  one  of  the  most  democratic  ele- 
ments in  the  polity  of  the  church. 

The  faith  of  the  Episcopalian  is  expressed 
in  the  Apostles'  Creed.  This  is  required  of 
those  who  are  baptized  and  confirmed. 
This  creed  is  a  positive  statement  of  the 
great  essential  facts  of  Christianity.  One 
learns  from  it  as  the  Catechism  explains: 
"  First,  I  learn  to  believe  in  God  the  Father, 
who  hath  made  me  and  all  the  world; 
Secondly,  in  God  the  Son,  who  hath  re- 
deemed me  and  all  mankind;  Thirdly,  in 
God  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  hath  sanctified 
me  and  all  the  people  of  God."  The  creed 
is  not  a  storehouse  of  doctrinal  definition.  It 
is  a  statement  of  the  simplest  facts  of  Chris- 


l8  The  Episcopalians 

tian  truth  for  the  development  of  the  relig- 
ious life.  It  is  an  expression  of  earnest 
Christian  loyalty  rather  than  a  metaphysical 
analysis  of  intricate  doctrine.  The  accept- 
ance of  the  Apostles'  Creed  is  an  assertion 
of  the  individual  that  he  believes  in  God,  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  was  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  and  suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  was 
crucified,  dead,  and  buried,  and  rose  again 
from  the  dead  to  be  the  judge  of  humanity; 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  com- 
munion of  saints,  the  forgiveness  of  sins 
and  the  life  everlasting. 

There  are  beautiful  explanations  and 
elaborations  of  these  central  truths  to  be 
found  throughout  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  in  the  collects  and  different  offices 
of  the  church,  in  the  Nicene  Creed  and  in 
the  Thirty-nine  Articles.  None  of  these 
have  to  be  formally  accepted  for  member- 
ship in  the  church.  The  Apostles'  Creed  is 
the  sole  formula  that  must  be  accepted  for 


The  Episcopalians  19 

baptism  and  confirmation.  By  a  study  of 
these  other  aids  to  faith  and  the  constant 
familiarity  with  them  in  the  services  of  the 
church  the  spirit  of  devotion  is  deepened 
and  the  intellectual  apprehension  of  truth  is 
stimulated. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  there  are  no 
creedal  statements  about  many  doctrines 
which  some  religious  bodies  have  deemed 
necessary  as  requirements  for  membership. 
The  doctrine  of  the  Inspiration  of  Holy 
Scripture  is  not  included.  There  is  no 
reference  to  predestination  or  future  pun- 
ishment. The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is 
treated  in  the  broadest  outlines.  The  facts 
of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  Sonship 
of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are  stated,  but 
no  analysis  is  made.  There  are  many 
theories  of  the  Trinity,  but  no  one  of  them 
is  set  forth  in  the  Apostles'  Creed.  Many 
passages  in  the  prayer-book  reflect  various 
phases  of  the  doctrine.  These  assist  in 
giving  definiteness  to  one's  thought  and 


2o  The  Episcopalians 

help  to  make  clear  the  mystery  of  God  in 
the  threefold  revelation  in  nature,  in  the 
person  of  Christ  and  in  the  heart  and  con- 
science of  man.  This  absence  of  reference 
to  such  doctrines,  and  the  further  omission 
of  doctrinal  definition,  is  an  evidence  that 
the  church  gives  large  liberty  of  individual 
interpretation.  Such  is  the  case.  The 
growth  and  enrichment  of  the  human  soul 
come  through  the  personal  appropriation 
of  the  central  Christian  truths  and  the  illu- 
mination of  such  truths  by  one's  learning, 
meditation,  temperament  and  devotion. 
The  church  brings  to  man  the  revelation, 
and  man,  receiving  it,  finds  new  beauties 
in  its  infinite  depth. 

The  right  of  private  interpretation  and 
judgment  is  one  of  the  most  prized  char- 
acteristics of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
marks  its  breadth  and  comprehensiveness. 
The  church  thus  provides  a  religious  home 
for  many  who  differ  in  the  interpretation 
of  doctrine.  They  accept  the  same  creed 


The  Episcopalians  21 

and  liturgy;  and  instead  of  being  bound 
within  narrow  limits  they  enjoy  freedom  in 
their  religious  lives.  Men  of  dissimilar 
training  and  temperament  are  sure  to  value 
differently  certain  aspects  of  truth.  Shall 
they,  therefore,  separate  and  multiply  sec- 
tarian bodies?  or  shall  they  reside  within 
the  one  great  church,  and,  giving  a  loyalty 
to  the  institution,  pursue  the  trend  of  their 
natures  in  the  appreciation  of  the  revelation 
of  Christ  ?  The  church,  again,  becomes  like 
the  nation,  wherein  the  citizens  accept  the 
constitution,  but  often  differ  as  to  its  mean- 
ing; yet  all  work  for  the  good  of  the  whole. 
In  the  church  one  hears  of  "  High  Church," 
"Low  Church,"  and  "Broad  Church." 
These  names  stand  in  general  for  varied 
interpretations  of  Christian  truth.  They 
represent  tendencies  of  thought  rather  than 
parties.  The  significance  of  these  names  is 
constantly  shifting.  It  is  one  of  the  notes 
of  a  comprehensive  church  that  there 
should  be  within  the  sheltering  care  of  the 


22  The  Episcopalians 

one    institution    those   who   represent  the 
ideas  which  these  names  signify. 

The  worship  of  the  churchman  is  stimu- 
lated and  guided  by  the  use  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  The  prayer-book  is  re- 
garded by  the  Episcopalian  as  a  rich  treas- 
ury of  devotion;  and  on  Sundays,  festivals, 
and  holy  days  the  services  are  repeated  by 
minister  and  people  as  a  worthy  and  ade- 
quate expression  of  their  religious  emotions. 
This  book  of  offices  and  prayers  contains 
the  wealth  of  the  devotional  experience  of 
saintly  men.  The  reverent  language  helps 
to  lift  the  soul  of  the  worshipper  to  God. 
When  using  the  liturgy  the  Christian  feels 
that  he  is  a  part  of  the  church  of  the  ages, 
for  the  very  words  which  he  takes  upon 
his  lips  have  been  used  by  worshippers  in 
every  period  of  the  church's  history.  The 
book  is  a  growth:  it  draws  from  the  devo- 
tional literature  of  Israel;  it  is  filled  with 
Christ's  own  words;  the  evangelists  and 
apostles  have  contributed  to  it;  the  earliest 


The  Episcopalians  23 

liturgical  forms  used  by  the  fathers  are  re- 
tained; services  used  by  the  Greek  and 
Latin  Christians,  enriched  and  expanded  by 
the  British  and  early  English  Church,  find  a 
place;  it  bears  the  stamp  of  mediaeval  Chris- 
tianity and  reflects  the  spirit  of  the  Refor- 
mation. Translated  into  English  and  drawn 
from  many  liturgical  sources,  the  prayer- 
book  has  been  one  of  the  great  gifts  of  the 
English  Church  to  the  Christian  world. 
Adapted  to  English  use  and  changed  to  suit 
American  conditions  it  is  now  the  constant 
companion  of  the  whole  Anglican  Com- 
munion. 

The  worship  is  common  worship.  Min- 
isters and  people  use  it  alike.  In  the  re- 
sponses and  sections  of  the  service  repeated 
in  unison  the  congregation  is  as  important  a 
part  in  the  act  of  worship  as  is  the  minister, 
who  leads  the  people  in  mutual  prayer 
and  praise.  The  use  of  a  liturgy  protects 
the  worshipper  from  the  eccentricities  of 
the  individual  minister;  and  provides  a 


24  The  Episcopalians 

familiar  and  tried  vehicle  for  religious  de- 
votion. 

There  is  great  variety  in  the  prayer-book. 
A  glance  will  show  that  the  book  contains 
numerous  services  and  offices  for  all  of  the 
important  crises  of  life.  Morning  Prayer 
and  Evening  Prayer,  the  Litany  and  Pene- 
tential  Prayers,  the  Holy  Communion,  Bap- 
tism and  Confirmation,  Marriage  and  Burial, 
the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  Family  Prayers, 
the  offices  of  Ordination  and  Consecration, 
— all  minister  to  the  several  needs  of  the 
Christian  community. 

The  individual  service  also  shows  variety. 
While  the  services  are  built  on  the  same 
groundwork  there  are  always  the  different 
lessons  from  Scripture,  the  different  Psalms, 
the  Gospel  and  Epistle  for  the  day,  the 
special  hymns  and  the  message  of  the 
preacher.  Morning  Prayer,  opening  with 
the  sentences  from  Scripture  and  the  exhor- 
tation, followed  by  the  General  Confession, 
Absolution,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  with  the 


The  Episcopalians  25 

Psalter,  the  Scripture  Lessons,  the  Venite 
and  Te  Deum,  and  the  Apostles'  Creed  and 
the  Prayers ,  makes  a  rich  and  harmonious 
act  of  worship  comprising  confession  of 
sin,  forgiveness,  praise  and  thanksgiving, 
instruction,  the  expression  of  loyal  faith 
and  the  communion  with  God  in  prayer. 

The  teaching  of  the  church  year,  also,  takes 
the  constant  worshipper  through  almost 
every  phase  of  Christian  experience  and  re- 
hearses anew  the  central  facts  in  the  life  of 
Christ. 

Beginning  with  Advent,  rich  in  the 
thought  of  the  value  of  the  ministry,  the 
power  of  scripture,  and  the  world's  prepa- 
ration for  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  church 
year  enters  upon  the  sacred  and  joyful  time 
of  the  nativity;  and  through  the  whole 
Christmas  season  leads  men  to  think  of  the 
mystery  of  childhood,  the  duty  of  parents, 
and  the  dignity  of  human  life  as  taught  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation.  Epiphany 
reveals  anew  the  universality  of  Christ's  re- 


26  The  Episcopalians 

ligion  and  its  appeal  to  all  men  everywhere. 
Lent  with  its  admonitions  to  a  holy  and 
righteous  life,  developing  self-control  and 
offering  forgiveness  for  sin,  proves  its  use- 
fulness by  increased  meditation,  prayer  and 
worship.  On  Good  Friday  humanity  stands 
by  the  side  of  the  cross  and  witnesses  the 
glory  of  sacrifice  and  learns  the  truth  of  the 
reconciliation  between  God  and  man. 
Easter  Day  stands  for  the  triumph  of  good 
over  evil,  life  over  death,  and  brings  to 
light  immortality.  Whitsunday  celebrates 
the  coming  of  the  Spirit  of  God  into  rela- 
tionship with  the  spirits  of  men  and  inter- 
prets God's  power  in  history,  in  the  church, 
and  in  the  conscience  of  humanity. 
Trinity  Sunday  presents  the  supreme 
Christian  philosophy  of  God,  as  Father,  Son 
and  Holy  Spirit  illustrating  wisdom,  love, 
and  power. 

In  the  Episcopal  Church  there  are  two 
sacraments,  Baptism  and  the  Supper  of  the 
Lord.  They  were  ordained  by  Christ  him- 


The  Episcopalians  27 

self.  Baptism  is  the  entrance  into  the 
church;  and  Holy  Communion  is  the 
pledge  of  fellowship  and  the  source  of 
spiritual  power.  The  water  and  the  bread 
and  wine  consecrated  by  prayer  are  the 
outward  symbols  of  inner  spiritual  grace. 

In  the  administration  of  baptism  the 
method,  whether  by  immersion  or  by 
pouring,  is  not  considered  the  essential 
element  in  the  sacrament.  It  is  the  spirit, 
not  the  letter,  that  must  be  observed.  By 
virtue  of  baptism  one  becomes  a  member 
of  the  church  of  Christ.  In  the  case  of  an 
adult,  repentance,  acceptance  of  Christ, 
and  the  vow  to  lead  a  Christian  life  are 
the  requisites  for  baptism.  The  baptismal 
formula,  "  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is 
invariably  used.  Infants  also  are  baptized 
in  recognition  of  their  birth  into  the  church 
through  the  Christian  family,  as  by  their 
birth  they  become  members  of  the  nation. 
In  the  commonwealth  of  Israel  the  child's 


28  The  Episcopalians 

citizenship  was  recognized  by  a  religious 
act,  and  the  integrity  of  the  family  as  a 
unit  was  taught.  "  Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  unto  me  and  forbid  them  not," 
said  Christ;  and  in  his  whole  attitude 
towards  children  he  showed  that  he  had  no 
intention  of  excluding  them  from  the  king- 
dom of  God.  There  is  no  scripture  in- 
junction against  the  baptism  of  children. 
Primitive  usage,  following  naturally  the 
Old  Testament  ideal  of  the  sacredness  of  the 
family  and  the  religious  training  of  the 
young,  received  the  child  as  a  member  of 
the  Christian  community.  Baptism  as  the 
open  door  into  the  church  took  the  place  of 
circumcision,  the  method  of  entrance  into 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel. 

When  the  child  is  brought  into  the  church 
and  baptized  at  the  font,  it  is  offered  unto 
the  Lord.  A  pledge  is  also  made  by  the 
parents  and  sponsors  that  it  will  be  brought 
up  to  lead  a  godly  and  Christian  life.  The 
church  claims  it  for  its  own,  and  endeavors 


The  Episcopalians  29 

to  surround  it  by  Christian  influences  from 
its  birth.  The  child  neither  selects  its 
parents  nor  its  country,  and  it  is  not 
necessary  for  it  to  select  the  church.  There 
is  a  providence  in  the  nationality  and  par- 
entage of  the  child,  and  there  is  also  a 
providence  in  the  fact  of  the  child  being 
placed  in  the  Christian  family  and  becoming 
a  member  of  the  church  through  the  act  of 
baptism. 

Infant  baptism  leads  to  confirmation  when 
the  child  is  old  enough  to  ratify  and  confirm 
what  its  parents  and  the  church  did  for  it. 
It  takes  upon  itself  the  vows  that  were 
made  in  its  name  and  completes,  by  a  per- 
sonal act,  conscious  membership  in  the 
church  of  Christ.  Through  baptism  the 
child  is  "born  again,"  or  becomes  regener- 
ate,— enters  by  a  spiritual  birth  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  just  as  by  natural  birth  it 
enters  into  the  world.  It  is  grafted  into 
the  body  of  Christ's  Church  and  begins  a 
career  of  nurture  and  development  under 


30  The  Episcopalians 

Christian  influences.  The  ideal  is  the 
gradual  training  of  the  spiritual  faculties  of 
the  child  so  that  normally  it  grows  into  the 
full  possession  of  the  Christian  heritage. 

The  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
or  the  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Supper  has 
always  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
sacred  services  in  the  church.  Instituted 
by  Christ  and  enjoined  upon  his  disciples 
by  him  in  the  words,  "  do  this  in  remem- 
brance of  me,"  it  has  ever  been  celebrated 
with  joy  and  thanksgiving.  "  For  the  con- 
tinual remembrance  of  the  sacrifice  of  the 
death  of  Christ,"  says  the  church,  in  refer- 
ring to  the  establishment  of  the  sacrament, 
"and  of  the  benefits  which  we  receive 
thereby,"  it  was  ordained.  In  the  simple 
breaking  of  the  bread  and  the  pouring  of 
the  wine  accompanied  by  the  act  of  con- 
secration and  prayer,  a  feast  is  prepared  for 
the  children  of  God,  which  has  always 
given  inspiration  and  strength. 

Christians  have  always  had  different  ex- 


The  Episcopalians  31 

planations  of  the  power  of  the  sacrament, 
and  different  views  with  regard  to  it.  The 
memorial  idea,  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation,  the  conception  of  the  real  presence, 
the  sacrificial  idea  and  the  presence  of 
Christ  in  the  recipient's  heart, — all  these 
views  have  from  time  to  time  been  held  by 
Christians,  and  have  expressed  for  them 
the  mystery  and  comfort  of  the  sacrament. 
The  Episcopal  Church  has  repudiated  tran- 
substantiation,  and  the  view  of  the  contin- 
ual offering  of  a  sacrifice  of  Christ's  body, 
because  the  sacrifice  was  once  offered 
"full  and  sufficient."  It  is  taught  that  the 
communion  is  a  memorial;  but  more  than 
this,  that  the  presence  of  Christ  is  both  in 
the  sacrament  and  in  the  heart  of  the  be- 
liever. The  church  recognizes  that  there 
will  always  be  a  difference  among  disciples 
as  to  the  interpretation  of  the  sacrament 
and  urges  them  to  partake  of  it  worthily, 
not  desiring  to  limit  the  freedom  of  the  in- 
dividual except  where  express  laws  have 


32  The  Episcopalians 

been  enacted.  To  the  reverent  worshipper 
the  sacrament  becomes  a  precious  experi- 
ence, and  no  formulated  theory  can  explain 
the  deep  consciousness  of  Christ's  presence, 
the  subtle  spiritual  influences  that  arise  and 
the  satisfying  of  the  hunger  of  the  soul.  It 
becomes  truly  the  outward  and  visible  sign 
of  an  inward  and  spiritual  grace. 

The  church  is  an  organization  for  the 
social  salvation  of  mankind  as  well  as  for 
the  saving  of  the  individual  soul.  It  is  a 
brotherhood,  the  aim  of  which  is  to  develop 
man's  character  through  mutual  service  and 
to  give  inspiration  to  human  society  to  live 
a  true,  normal,  and  unselfish  life.  Duty  to 
God  includes  duty  to  God's  children. 
Through  loving  witnesses  and  consecrated 
human  agencies  the  church,  following  the 
teaching  of  Christ,  seeks  to  build  up  society 
and  to  promote  Christian  civilization. 
Moved  by  these  impulses,  the  church 
works  through  societies  and  organizations 
for  improving  the  lives  of  men  and  women 


The  Episcopalians  33 

and  provides  opportunities  for  genuine 
social  service.  The  parish  house,  the  hos- 
pital, the  settlement,  and  the  numerous 
societies  for  boys  and  girls  and  men  and 
women,  in  connection  with  Episcopal 
parishes,  indicate  that  the  church  is  trying 
to  fulfill  its  duty  to  all  classes  of  society. 
The  growth  of  great  parishes  which  com- 
bine the  elements  of  the  rescue  mission, 
the  hospital  and  the  college,  is  a  movement 
in  modern  life  to  make  the  Master's  influ- 
ence dominant  in  the  centres  of  population. 
Faith,  worship,  and  service  are  becoming 
more  and  more  the  watchwords  of  the 
church. 

The  Episcopal  Church  in  America  having 
been  planted  as  a  mission  of  the  Church  of 
England  draws  its  form  and  inspiration 
from  the  continuous  history  of  English 
Christianity.  The  origins  must  be  sought 
in  the  British,  Keltic,  Saxon  and  early  Eng- 
lish churches  from  which  has  come  the  rich 
and  varied  inheritance. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  BRITISH  AND  EARLY  ENGLISH  CHURCH 

THE  date  of  the  first  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  England  is  unknown. 
There  are  some  beautiful  legends  that  tell 
how  Joseph  of  Arimathea  went  to  Glaston- 
bury  and  planted  the  staff  which  grew  into 
the  Holy  Thorn,  how  St.  Paul  himself 
preached  in  Britain,  but  the  only  authorita- 
tive statement  is  that  of  Tertullian,  writing 
about  208,  who  says  that  the  gospel  had 
reached  Britain.  Whatever  were  the  be- 
ginnings, and  it  is  probable  that  Christians 
went  from  Gaul  and  brought  with  them 
the  gospel,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that 
three  British  bishops  were  present  at  the 
Council  of  Aries  in  314.  Their  names  are 
known:  Eborius  of  York,  Rustitutus  of 
London,  and  Adelfius  of  Lincoln.  Also 
34 


British  and  Early  English  Church  35 

there  were  bishops  from  England  at  the 
Council  of  Rimini  in  359. 

There  were  ancient  churches  at  Glaston- 
bury,  Canterbury,  St.  Albans,  Chester, 
Whithome  and  Evesham;  and  the  founda- 
tion of  the  bishoprics  of  Llandaff  and  St. 
David's  dates  from  this  early  period.  These 
facts  indicate  that  long  before  the  coming 
of  the  Roman  mission  under  Augustine  in 
597  there  was  a  fully  organized  church  in 
England  with  characteristics  of  its  own 
and  an  independence  strengthened  by  the 
isolation  of  its  island  home. 

This  early  church  is  called  the  British 
Church  to  distinguish  it  from  the  later  Saxon 
and  English  Church.  The  best  account  we 
have  of  its  organization  and  history  is  given 
by  Gildas,  who  wrote  before  550.  After 
the  withdrawal  of  the  Roman  forces  from 
Britain,  in  410,  the  British  Church  de- 
veloped along  lines  independent  of  the 
influence  of  the  Continental  churches.  The 
picture  that  is  drawn  by  Gildas  shows  that 


36  The  Episcopalians 

the  British  Church  had  a  diocesan  Episco- 
pate, many  of  the  bishops  being  men  of 
learning  and  force;  it  was  governed  by 
synods;  there  were  monasteries  where  the 
celibate  life  was  cultivated  by  men  and 
women.  However,  clerical  marriages  were 
common.  Among  the  differences  to  be 
noted  between  the  Roman  Church  and  the 
British  Church  were  the  date  of  the  ob- 
servance of  Easter,  the  method  of  bap- 
tism and  the  form  of  the  tonsure. 

These  differences  were  further  accentu- 
ated by  another  influence  which  affected 
the  British  Church.  The  Irish  or  Keltic 
Church,  through  its  missionaries,  notably 
St.  Columba,  who  established  a  celebrated 
monastery  on  the  Island  of  lona,  came  into 
close  association  with  the  Britons.  Ireland 
was  even  more  isolated  than  Britain.  It 
refused  to  give  up  the  date  of  observing 
Easter  at  the  bidding  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  The  Irish  Church  was  a  monastic 
church  and  lacked  the  diocesan  features  of 


British  and  Early  English  Church  37 

the  British  Church;  but  through  the  zeal  of 
the  missionaries  it  became  an  important 
factor  in  the  growth  of  the  church  in 
Britain.  As  an  indication  of  the  native 
character  and  independence  of  the  two 
churches,  it  is  a  suggestive  fact  that  the 
whole  ministry  of  St.  Columba  was  exer- 
cised before  the  arrival  of  Augustine. 
Columba  died  in  597,  the  very  year  in 
which  the  Roman  monk  landed  at  Ebbs- 
fleet,  on  the  shores  of  Kent. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  Roman  mission 
under  Augustine,  the  British  Church  had 
suffered  severely  and  had  been  driven  into 
the  west  of  Britain  by  the  invasion  of  the 
Saxons,  Angles  and  Jutes.  These  Saxon 
conquerors  were  nature  worshippers  and 
lovers  of  battle.  In  their  attempt  to  ex- 
terminate the  conquered  and  to  uphold  their 
own  religious  ideas  they  stirred  up  such  a 
furious  hatred  in  the  breasts  of  the  Britons 
that  no  attempts  seem  to  have  been  made 
by  the  British  Church  to  Christianize  them. 


38  The  Episcopalians 

A  British  abbot  once  said  to  his  disciples  on 
hearing  a  Saxon  calling  to  his  dogs,  "Let 
us  depart  hence  straightway,  for  this  man 
speaks  a  language  that  is  hateful  to  me;  his 
nation  has  come  to  invade  our  land  and 
will  keep  it  forever." 

No  such  prejudice  existed  in  the  mind  of 
Gregory  when  in  the  Roman  market-place, 
about  585,  he  saw  the  beautiful  Saxon 
youths  and  made  up  his  mind  to  go  as 
a  missionary  to  their  people.  "  Alas," 
he  said,  "  that  the  prince  of  darkness 
should  claim  such  bright  faces.  What  is 
their  race  ?  "  "  They  are  Angles,"  was  the 
reply.  "  That  is  well,"  he  continued,  "  for 
they  have  angel  faces  and  should  be  fellow- 
heirs  with  the  angels  in  heaven."  But 
Gregory  was  elected  pope  in  590  and 
could  not  go  on  his  journey  to  the  Saxons. 
He,  however,  selected  Augustine  and  a 
party  of  monks,  and  sent  them.  After 
many  vicissitudes  they  landed  on  the  Isle  of 
Thanet  in  597,  and  were  fortunate  in  their 


British  and  Early  English  Church  39 

reception  by  King  /Ethelbert,  whose  wife 
Bertha  was  a  Christian.  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  this  good  woman  they  were 
treated  kindly  by  the  king,  who  was  later 
baptized  with  many  of  his  nobles.  A 
suitable  dwelling  was  provided  in  Canter- 
bury for  the  missionaries;  and  an  old 
church  was  restored  and  given  to  them, 
which  they  dedicated  to  Christ  the  Saviour. 
So  Christianity  gained  a  stronghold  among 
the  Saxons,  and  Augustine  was  made  the 
first  archbishop  of  Canterbury.  The  plan 
was  soon  formed  for  an  extension  of  the 
church  throughout  the  island.  Two  prov- 
inces were  to  be  set  up,  one  having  the 
centre  at  London  and  the  other  at  York; 
and  twelve  bishops  were  to  be  consecrated. 
These  plans  were  not  all  carried  out,  but 
Augustine's  influence  spread  through  other 
principalities  besides  that  of  Kent. 

As  outlined  by  Gregory  the  policy  to  be 
pursued  by  Augustine  was  broad  and  in- 
telligent. "  It  pleases  me,"  wrote  Gregory, 


40  The  Episcopalians 

"  that  if  you  have  found  anything  either  in 
the  Roman  or  the  Galilean  or  in  any  other 
church  which  may  be  more  acceptable  to 
Almighty  God  you  carefully  make  choice 
of  the  same,  and  sedulously  teach  the  church 
of  the  English  which  is  as  yet  new  in  the 
faith,  whatsoever  you  can  gather  from  the 
several  churches."  But  Augustine  was  not 
free  from  conservative  prejudices.  With 
timidity  and  lack  of  sagacity  he  was  some- 
times overbearing  in  his  attitude.  This  was 
especially  the  case  when  he  came  in  contact 
with  the  bishops  of  the  British  Church. 
Augustine  arranged  for  a  conference  be- 
tween himself  and  the  representatives  of 
the  British  Church  with  the  purpose  ap- 
parently of  getting  them  to  acknowledge 
his  authority.  Two  conferences  were  held 
and  both  were  failures.  The  British  bish- 
ops were  not  willing  to  surrender  their  in- 
dependence or  give  up  their  customs  and 
practices.  This  independence  on  their  part 
resulted  in  further  alienation  and  the  two 


British  and  Early  English  Church  41 

churches  lived  apart  until  they  were  finally 
merged  much  later  in  the  united  English 
Church.  The  consecration  of  St.  Chad  to 
the  See  of  Litchfield  seems  to  have  been  one 
of  the  few  instances  where  bishops  of  the 
two  churches  joined. 

The  results  of  the  Roman  mission  were 
not  all  that  had  been  anticipated,  though  it 
succeeded  in  organizing  three  dioceses,  at 
Canterbury,  Rochester  and  in  East  Anglia. 
Other  parts  of  England  were  untouched. 
The  conversion  of  the  remaining  groups  of 
the  Heptarchy  was  a  long  process,  for  the 
different  states  were  continually  at  war; 
the  kings  at  one  time  siding  with  the  Chris- 
tians and  at  another  time  driving  them  out 
of  their  kingdoms.  Paulinus,  an  energetic 
and  wise  man,  who  joined  Augustine  in 
60 1,  carried  on  a  successful  work  in  North- 
umbria  and  planted  Christianity  there, 
building  a  church  of  stone  at  York.  A 
great  misfortune  befell  the  church  in  North- 
umbria  when  King  Penda  of  Mercia  became 


42  The  Episcopalians 

the  champion  of  heathenism.  Paulinus  had 
to  flee,  and  much  of  his  work  was  des- 
troyed. 

The  church  in  Northumbria  made  no 
progress  until  after  the  battle  of  Heavenfield 
in  634  which  placed  Oswald,  who  had  been 
baptized  in  lona,  on  the  throne.  This  gave 
an  opportunity  for  a  new  Christian  influence 
from  the  North,  the  Scots  coming  as  mis- 
sionaries from  Ireland  and  lona  to  finish  the 
work  of  evangelization  in  which  Paulinus 
had  failed.  St.  Aidan,  a  bishop  sent  from 
"  the  family  of  Columba  "  as  the  monks  of 
lona  were  called,  began  this  noble  work, 
and  established  the  monastery  at  Lindisfarne 
which  became  a  new  centre  of  learning  and 
influence.  As  the  Roman  mission  gradually 
dwindled  Aidan  with  his  scholars  at  Lindis- 
farne developed  a  native  ministry;  and  these 
disciples  going  far  and  wide  helped  to  bring 
the  other  states  of  the  Heptarchy  into  the 
fold  of  Christ.  As  Bede  describes  the  char- 
acter of  Aidan  it  is  not  difficult  to  under- 


British  and  Early  English  Church  43 

stand  his  power,  the  winning  quality  of  a 
holy  and  beautiful  life  of  gentleness  and 
piety.  From  Northumbria  the  missionaries 
went  to  Mercia.  East  Anglia  had  been  con- 
verted by  Felix  of  Burgundy  and  St.  Fursey. 
The  faith  was  revived  among  the  East 
Saxons  by  Cedda,  a  disciple  of  St.  Finan 
who  was  a  Briton.  Among  the  West 
Saxons  the  Gospel  was  carried  by  Birinus. 
Thus  England  had  practically  been  brought 
to  the  Christian  faith  through  three  different 
channels:  the  original  British  Church,  the 
Roman  missions  and  the  Scot  missionaries 
from  Ireland  and  the  North. 

In  order  to  bring  about  some  sort  of  uni- 
formity a  conference,  or  what  might  be 
called  a  national  synod,  was  held  at  Whitby 
in  664.  Representatives  were  present  from 
the  Keltic  and  Roman  parties.  Wilfrid  up- 
held the  Roman  use  and  Coleman,  a  bishop 
at  Lindisfarne,  maintained  the  Keltic  use. 
The  question  of  tonsure  was  also  discussed. 
The  Roman  custom  was  adopted.  This 


44  The  Episcopalians 

conference  was  of  great  importance  not  be- 
cause of  the  questions  in  dispute  but  because 
it  was  the  first  step  in  consolidating  into  a 
national  church  the  separate  elements  of 
English  Christianity. 

The  success  of  the  Roman  party  at 
Whitby  decided  the  future  relations  be- 
tween the  English  and  Roman  Churches. 
It  brought  the  English  Church  into  closer 
connection  with  the  continent,  and  gave  it 
a  share  in  the  progress  of  European  civili- 
zation, and  prepared  the  way  for  the  ac- 
ceptance on  the  part  of  the  people,  four 
years  later  of  the  authority  of  the  See  of 
Canterbury.  The  affection  for  Rome  be- 
came strong;  and  though  the  church  re- 
tained its  independence  and  national  char- 
acter, which  was  asserted  over  and  over 
again,  it  looked  to  Rome  for  guidance  and 
inspiration. 

The  next  step  in  the  development  of  the 
national  church  was  made  under  the  direc- 
tion of  two  strong  personalities,  Archbishop 


British  and  Early  English  Church  45 

Theodore  of  Canterbury,  and  Wilfrid  of 
York.  From  the  latter  part  of  the  seventh 
century  into  the  eighth  century  the  work  of 
these  two  men  was  constructive.  Theo- 
dore was  a  Greek  monk,  a  native  of  Tarsus, 
a  man  of  great  executive  ability  and  a 
strong  partisan  of  Rome.  However,  he 
visited  all  parts  of  England  and  enforced 
discipline,  preparing  canons  for  the  regula- 
tion of  the  monasteries  and  dioceses.  Wil- 
frid, equally  energetic,  frequently  came  into 
collision  with  Theodore,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  of  the  English  bishops  to  appeal 
directly  to  Rome.  This  was  resented  by 
the  English  people.  The  period  of  Theo- 
dore and  Wilfrid  was  one  of  strong  cen- 
tralizing power.  Dioceses  were  sharply 
defined,  and  parishes  were  set  apart.  The 
relations  of  the  church  to  the  state  became 
clearer;  church  property  was  exempted 
from  taxation,  and  Sunday  was  recognized. 
The  state  of  the  church  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury is  well  illustrated  by  the  decisions  of 


46  The  Episcopalians 

the  Council  of  Clovesho,  Cliff-at-Hoo  in 
Kent,  which  took  place  in  747.  It  was  or- 
dered that  bishops  should  give  themselves 
to  teaching  God's  people  and  visit  the 
whole  of  their  dioceses  every  year;  that  in 
ordaining  men  to  the  priesthood  they 
should  institute  careful  examination  as  to 
their  ability  and  character;  that  the  creed, 
Lord's  Prayer  and  offices  of  the  church 
should  be  explained  in  English;  and  that 
persons  should  prepare  themselves  for  re- 
ceiving the  Holy  Communion.  Other  rules 
were  adopted  which  regulated  monastic 
living,  and  enforced  strict  morals,  especially 
temperance  and  chastity. 

The  teaching  of  the  church  was  exempli- 
fied in  the  lives  of  many  noble  men  and 
women.  The  Venerable  Bede,  673-735,  a 
priest  living  in  the  monastery  of  Jarrow, 
devoted  his  saintly  life  to  sacred  studies, 
and  has  preserved  in  his  writings  the  early 
history  of  the  English  Church.  "I  have 
ever,"  he  says,  "found  my  pleasure  in 


British  and  Early  English  Church  47 

learning,  teaching  or  writing."  He  was 
looked  upon  as  the  "  most  beloved  master" 
by  his  companions,  who  called  themselves 
his  "dearest  sons."  His  other  works  of 
importance  are  the  valuable  "Lives  of  the 
Abbots  of  Wearmouth  and  Jarrow,"  and 
his  "Life  of  St.  Cuthbert."  Alcuin,  the 
great  scholar  at  the  Court  of  Charlemagne, 
was  a  northern  friar  of  noble  birth  and 
founded  the  library  at  York.  Among  those 
to  be  remembered  as  products  of  the  church 
in  this  period  are  the  missionaries  who  car- 
ried the  gospel  to  other  lands.  St.  Egbert, 
about  687,  formed  the  purpose  of  preach- 
ing to  the  people  from  whom  the  Angles 
and  Saxon  of  Britain  were  known  to  have 
derived  their  origin;  and  it  was  through 
him  that  a  mission  was  undertaken  to 
Frisia.  St.  Willibrod,  an  earnest  evangel- 
ist, who  afterwards  became  Archbishop  of 
the  Frisians,  carried  on  this  work.  St. 
Boniface,  called  the  Apostle  of  Germany, 
was  a  native  of  Britain,  and  educated  in  the 


48  The  Episcopalians 

Abbey  of  Nutsall,  near  Winchester.  His 
success  in  Thuringia  and  the  founding  of 
four  bishoprics  in  Bavaria,  together  with 
his  preaching  and  martyrdom  have  en- 
deared him  to  the  German  Church.  Old- 
helm,  Abbot  of  Malmesbury,  was  a  man 
of  forcible  character  who  enriched  the 
abbeys  of  Abington  and  Glastonbury. 
Benedict  Biscop  was  a  great  traveller  who 
brought  from  the  continent  valuable  manu- 
scripts. 

During  the  period  in  the  history  of  the 
church  from  the  Viking  invasion,  803,  to 
the  Norman  Conquest,  1066,  the  church 
made  steady  progress  at  times,  and  then 
again  was  much  disturbed  through  the  con- 
fusion of  the  times.  In  the  main,  however, 
it  was  through  the  example  and  influence 
of  the  church  that  the  idea  of  national  unity 
was  evolved.  Through  all  the  differing 
elements  of  the  Heptarchy,  the  one  factor 
common  to  them  all  was  the  Christianity 
which  they  had  accepted.  While  each 


British  and  Early  English  Church  49 

kingdom  had  its  own  legislative  assembly, 
it  was  the  church  which  had  a  national 
assembly.  The  clergy  and  laymen  moved 
freely  from  kingdom  to  kingdom,  and  the 
bishops  were  often  not  natives  of  the  king- 
dom in  which  they  held  their  sees.  The 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was  at  one  time 
a  West  Saxon,  then  again  a  Mercian,  and  at 
another  time  a  native  of  Kent.  This  practi- 
cal unity  of  sentiment  and  organization  was 
not  without  effect  upon  the  kingdoms  war- 
ring against  one  another.  When  some- 
thing like  national  unity  was  gained  by  the 
success  of  King  Alfred  against  the  Danes, 
and  his  acquisition  of  the  central  power  in 
England,  his  labors  were  strengthened  by 
the  existing  ideals  of  unity  which  the 
church  had  upheld.  The  church  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  growth  of  the 
national  idea  in  England  and  helped  to 
weld  together  the  scattered  forces  of  dis- 
union and  separation. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Danish  invasion 


50  The  Episcopalians 

the  church  suffered  the  loss  of  many  mon- 
asteries and  churches.  The  clergy  were 
slain  and  the  bishoprics  were  vacant.  The 
invaders  were  seeking  the  ringing  gold,  the 
"fire-red  hoard,"  and  they  despoiled  the  re- 
ligious houses;  but  when  the  Northmen 
settled  in  the  land  which  they  had  invaded 
many  of  them  embraced  Christianity  and 
gave  up  their  heathen  magic. 

It  was  not  until  King  Alfred's  reign, 
when  the  dominant  power  was  held  by  the 
kingdom  of  Wessex,  that  the  church  began 
to  develop  as  a  national  institution.  Alfred, 
871  to  901,  one  of  the  greatest  names  in 
English  history,  after  seven  years  of  fight- 
ing with  the  Danes,  won  the  battle  of 
Ethandune,  which  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
turning  points  in  the  fortunes  of  England. 
He  was  now  enabled  to  care  for  his  people, 
and  to  strengthen  the  church  for  its  work  of 
ministry  and  preaching.  He  prefaced  his 
code  of  laws  with  the  Ten  Commandments; 
and  though  his  laws  as  a  whole  were  some- 


British  and  Early  English  Church  51 

what  deficient  ethically,  there  was  a  strict 
observance  required  of  truthfulness  in  oath 
and  covenant.  For  the  education  of  the 
people  he  translated  into  English  Bede's 
"History,"  the  "Soliloquies  of  St.  Augus- 
tine," Bo3thius'  "Consolations  of  Phi- 
losophy," and  other  books  of  importance, 
as  well  as  some  parts  of  the  Bible.  "  When 
I  thought  of  them  all  thus,"  said  Alfred,  in 
explaining  why  he  desired  to  have  these 
books  translated,  "then  I  thought  also  how 
I  saw  it  before  it  was  all  spoiled — burned ; 
how  the  churches  throughout  all  the 
English  nation  were  filled  with  treasures 
and  books,  and  also  the  great  multitude  of 
God's  servants,  and  yet  they  knew  very 
little  of  the  truth  of  the  books,  because 
they  could  understand  nothing  of  them, 
because  they  were  not  written  in  their  own 
language." 

Alfred  was  less  insular  than  many  of  his 
predecessors,  and  established  closer  re- 
lations with  Rome.  Contributions  similar 


52  The  Episcopalians 

to  Peter's  Pence  were  sent;  embassies  from 
Rome  arrived  in  England,  and  in  one  in- 
stance  at  least  Plegmund  went  to  Rome  to 
get  his  Pall.  Though  Alfred's  affection  for 
Rome  was  strong,  he  was  not  subservient. 
His  work  in  the  main  was  untrammelled,  and 
the  English  Church  continued  its  labors 
without  external  influence. 

During  the  period  from  the  death  of 
Alfred  to  the  Norman  Conquest,  the  Church 
strengthened  itself  by  a  revival  of  religious 
interest  in  the  monasteries,  which  resulted 
in  a  beneficent  influence  on  ecclesiastical 
institutions,  on  morality  and  education,  and 
stimulated  intercourse  with  foreign  church- 
men and  scholars,  and  promoted  the  appli- 
cation of  the  arts  to  religious  needs.  The 
great  names  that  stand  out  are  those  of  St. 
Dunstan,  925  to  988,  and  Archbishop  Odo, 
who  did  much  to  strengthen  the  moral  and 
spiritual  forces  of  the  nation.  Dunstan  at 
times  was  tyrannical,  but  he  secured  some 
excellent  laws,  especially  those  against  idol- 


British  and  Early  English  Church  53 

atry.  He  encouraged  preaching,  and  the 
teaching  to  children  of  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  Creed.  King  Cnut,  1016  to  1035, 
though  he  succeeded  in  practically  dividing 
England  in  half,  through  the  continued 
struggle  between  the  English  and  the  Danes, 
encouraged  the  Christian  religion.  After 
his  death,  Edward  the  Confessor  ascended 
the  throne.  He  had  been  reared  in  Nor- 
mandy, and  was  interested  neither  in  the 
independence  of  the  church  nor  of  the  na- 
tion. There  were  the  foreign  and  the 
national  parties,  and  the  struggle  was 
fierce  between  them.  Roman  influence 
increased,  and  signs  were  beginning  to  ap- 
pear which  were  to  mean  the  temporary 
defeat  of  the  independence  of  the  English 
Church,  and  bring  it  into  subjection  to  the 
Pope. 

From  the  planting  of  Christianity  in 
Britain  to  the  Norman  Conquest  there  were 
four  important  stages  in  the  growth  of  the 
church:  those  indicated  by  the  names,  the 


54  The  Episcopalians 

British  Church,  the  Keltic  Church,  the 
Saxon  Church,  and  the  English  Church. 
The  British  Church  was  the  first  to  be 
founded;  then  came  the  missions  of  the 
Irish  and  Scotch  Church;  and  then  the  mis- 
sionary efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Roman 
Church  to  Christianize  the  Saxons,  which 
gave  rise  to  the  Saxon  Church;  and  from 
the  combined  influences  derived  from  these 
different  sources,  the  English  Church 
emerged  as  an  increasingly  organized  body, 
closely  related  to  the  national  life,  growing 
in  independence  in  both  ritual  and  govern- 
ment, uplifting  the  people  by  its  educational 
methods  and  moral  purposes,  and  uniting 
in  something  like  harmony  the  tribes  and 
the  kingdoms  into  a  nation.  During  this 
whole  period  the  relations  of  the  English 
Church  to  Rome  are  very  clear:  relying 
upon  the  sympathy  and  interests  of  Rome, 
at  times  accepting  its  advice  and  decrees, 
and  at  other  times  refusing  to  do  either,  the 
church  regarded  itself  as  an  independent 


.British  and  Early  English  Church  55 

authoritative  body.  The  Papacy  during 
this  epoch  had  not  asserted  extreme  claims, 
nor  had  it  reached  the  climax  of  its  power, 
so  that  the  normal  freedom  of  an  island 
church  was  not  unnatural.  There  were 
constant  attempts  on  the  part  of  Rome  to 
interfere,  in  some  cases  successfully,  but 
frequently  without  effect.  Wilfrid  ap- 
pealed to  Rome,  but  the  decree  was  set 
aside  in  704.  The  clergy  protested  in  805, 
and  Rome  yielded,  against  the  custom  of 
the  archbishops  going  to  Rome  to  receive 
the  badge  of  office.  Only  twice  since  the 
coming  of  Theodore  did  legates  interfere  in 
the  affairs  of  the  church.  Even  Dunstan 
with  little  compunction  set  aside  a  Papal 
sentence. 

The  increasing  power  of  Rome,  however, 
was  to  tell  in  the  end.  Gradually  the  sway 
of  the  Pope,  helped  by  political  conditions, 
became  to  be  recognized  more  and  more  in 
England.  During  the  time  from  the  Nor- 
man Conquest  to  the  Reformation,  Rome  at- 


56  The  Episcopalians 

tained  the  highest  control,  but  not  without 
continued  struggles  wherein  both  the  nation 
and  the  Church  asserted  their  independence, 
until  the  foreign  yoke  was  cast  aside  in  the 
sixteenth  century. 


CHAPTER  HI 

THE  NORMAN  CHURCH 

THE  history  of  the  Church  in  England 
from  the  Norman  Conquest  to  the  Reforma- 
tion in  the  sixteenth  century,  may  be  di- 
vided into  two  periods:  the  first,  from 
William  the  Conqueror  to  the  accession  of 
Edward  I,  which  took  place  in  1272;  and 
second,  from  Edward's  reign  to  that  of 
Henry  VIII,  who  ascended  the  throne  1509. 
The  first  period  is  characterized  by  the 
dominance  of  the  Norman  element  in 
church  and  state,  and  the  gradual  success 
of  the  Pope  in  asserting  his  supreme  author- 
ity, and  gaining  his  greatest  control  in  the 
affairs  of  England.  The  second  period 
gives  ample  evidence  of  the  growth  of  the 
spirit  of  nationality  and  the  continued  rise 
of  those  forces  both  in  the  nation  and  the 
57 


58  The  Episcopalians 

church  which  finally  resulted  in  the  defeat 
of  the  Papacy  and  the  reassertion  of  the  in- 
dependence of  the  Church  of  England. 

At  the  battle  of  Hastings,  William  carried 
a  banner  which  had  been  blessed  by  Pope 
Alexander,  giving  the  invasion  the  character 
of  the  holy  war  against  the  religious  free- 
dom and  liberties  of  the  English  people. 
The  invasion  succeeded  in  both  directions. 
The  land  was  taken  from  its  English 
owners;  a  French  nobility  took  the  place  of 
prominent  Englishmen;  the  bishoprics  were 
filled  with  foreign  ecclesiastics;  and  an 
Italian,  Lanfranc,  was  made  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  The  English  people  were  re- 
duced to  the  position  of  underlings  and  the 
church  for  the  most  part  became  the  pos- 
session of  foreigners.  An  unaccustomed 
sight  was  witnessed  in  1070,  when  three 
papal  delegates  placed  a  crown  on  William's 
head,  indicating  that  his  position  was  con- 
firmed by  the  Papacy.  Fortunately  both 
William  and  Lanfranc  gave  less  submission 


The  Norman  Church  59 

to  Rome  than  was  expected.  When  Greg- 
ory VII  desired  him  to  do  fealty  the  con- 
queror replied:  "To  do  fealty  I  have  not 
been  willing  during  the  past,  nor  am  I 
willing  now  inasmuch  as  I  have  never 
promised  it."  Lanfranc  also  refused  a 
papal  summons. 

Gregory  VII,  Hildebrand,  was  one  of  the 
greatest  popes.  By  his  wisdom  and  ideals 
of  universal  supremacy  of  the  church,  he 
made  possible  the  almost  complete  control 
of  Christendom  to  which  he  aspired.  He 
desired  to  separate  the  church  from  the 
state,  and  give  the  church  more  definite 
spiritual  authority.  Celibacy  of  the  clergy 
was  enforced,  so  that  having  no  family  in- 
terests, their  devotion  might  be  more  com- 
plete. This  law  was  very  generally  en- 
forced in  England.  What  was  known  as 
the  Investiture  Controversy  was  precipitated 
by  Gregory,  and  was  another  step  towards 
securing  power  for  the  church.  The  ques- 
tion was  whether  the  bishops  and  other 


60  The  Episcopalians 

ecclesiastics  should  be  looked  upon  as 
vassals  of  the  king,  their  land  belonging  to 
him,  and  he  having  the  right  of  investing 
them  with  the  ring  and  the  staff  as  symbols 
of  their  homage.  Hildebrand  regarded  the 
land  as  the  property  of  the  church,  and 
contended  that  no  bishop  should  receive 
investiture  at  the  hands  of  a  layman.  This 
controversy  continued  through  the  reigns  of 
William  Rufus  and  Henry  I.  It  involved  in 
a  prolonged  struggle  Anselm  successor  of 
Lanfranc  to  the  See  of  Canterbury. 

Anselm,  an  Italian  like  his  predecessor, 
was  one  of  the  most  learned  theologians  of 
his  time,  an  author  of  many  works,  and  a 
man  of  great  determination  and  zeal.  His 
quarrels  with  William  Rufus  caused  him  to 
leave  England  for  a  time,  but  after  his 
return,  he  gained  his  point  when  an  agree- 
ment was  reached  at  the  council  of  London, 
1107,  that  henceforth  no  bishop  or  abbot 
should  be  invested  by  staff  and  ring  at  the 
hands  of  the  king. 


The  Norman  Church  61 

The  church  thus  asserted  its  spiritual 
power;  and  by  the  withholding  of  absolution 
and  the  teaching  of  transubstantiation,  it 
was  in  a  position  to  assert  its  prerogatives. 
The  greatest  triumph  of  the  Roman  power  in 
England  was  when  King  John  gave  his  king- 
dom to  Pope  Innocent  III.  The  interdict 
against  John  went  forth  in  1208.  The 
king's  superstitious  fears  made  him  an  easy 
prey  to  the  threats  of  the  pope;  and,  in 
1213,  "he  freely  and  voluntarily  granted  to 
God  and  his  holy  apostles,  Peter  and  Paul, 
the  Holy  Roman  Church,  and  his  Lord  Pope 
Innocent,  and  his  rightful  successors,  the 
whole  kingdom  of  England  and  the  whole 
kingdom  of  Ireland." 

But  even  in  King  John's  reign  there  was 
evidence  of  the  rise  of  a  new  spirit  of 
independence.  The  combined  power  of 
John  and  the  Pope  could  not  overthrow  the 
liberties  of  the  people.  Magna  Charta  was 
secured  after  John's  defeat  in  1215,  and  the 
foundation  of  English  freedom  was  laid. 


62  The  Episcopalians 

The  Great  Charter  was  "the  consum- 
mation," says  Freeman,  "  of  the  work  for 
which  unconsciously  kings,  prelates,  and 
lawyers  had  been  laboring  for  a  century, 
the  summing  up  of  one  period  of  national 
life,  and  the  starting  of  another."  In  this 
instrument  the  king  promised  that  the 
church  should  enjoy  its  rights  and  liberties 
without  interference. 

The  national  revival  was  helped  forward 
by  many  patriotic  men,  notably  by  Gros- 
seteste,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  Stephen 
Langton,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
The  church  had  grown  corrupt;  the  pur- 
chase of  livings,  called  simony,  was  rife; 
and  the  papal  impositions  and  demands  for 
money  were  excessive.  Against  these 
abominable  methods  both  Grosseteste  and 
Langton  protested  as  at  a  later  day  did 
John  Wyclif.  The  cause  of  true  religion 
seems  never  to  have  been  without  a  wit- 
ness. 

During  the  greatest  influence  of  Rome 


The  Norman  Church  63 

the  church  still  had  a  salutary  effect  upon 
the  lives  of  the  people.  The  parochial 
clergy  often  performed  their  duties  with 
devotion;  the  vicars,  archdeacons  and  bish- 
ops were  sometimes  men  of  learning  and 
character.  During  the  early  enthusiasm  of 
the  followers  of  St.  Francis  and  the  Domin- 
icans, examples  of  sacrifice  and  devotion  to 
the  faith  were  constantly  seen.  The  Fran- 
ciscans by  their  preaching  instructed  the 
people  and  inculcated  temperance  and  the 
other  teachings  of  the  moral  law.  The  de- 
cline of  the  famous  order  is  a  sad  story, 
when  its  members  became  idle  gossips  and 
lazy  beggars.  Beautiful  church  buildings 
were  erected  in  the  Norman,  the  Lancet  and 
early  English  styles;  and  many  of  the  great 
cathedrals  owe  their  origin  to  the  religious 
faith  of  these  times.  Norman  work  is  to 
be  seen  in  St.  Albans,  Ely,  Winchester, 
Romsey  Abbey,  Durham,  and  many  others. 
The  early  English  style  still  exists  in  Peter- 
borough, Salisbury,  and  Wells,  later  flower- 


64  The  Episcopalians 

ing  into  the  decorated  or  geometrical  style, 
which  is  to  be  seen  in  perfection  in  the 
Angel  Choir  of  Lincoln  Minster.  The  uni- 
versities became  centres  of  culture,  and 
kept  alive  the  debates  of  the  schoolmen, 
and  expounded  the  philosophy  of  the  Real- 
ists and  the  Nominalists.  There  were  many 
notable  scholars  like  William  of  Malmesbury, 
Matthew  Paris,  Henry  of  Huntingdon,  and 
John  of  Salisbury.  The  monasteries  also 
in  their  best  days  provided  a  retreat  from 
the  evils  of  the  world  to  those  who  sought 
industry  and  inward  peace.  In  the  thir- 
teenth century,  the  mediaeval  church  in  Eng- 
land was  at  the  height  of  its  greatness. 

In  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries 
signs  of  great  changes  began  to  multiply. 
The  forces  were  slowly  but  surely  preparing 
for  English  independence.  Edward  I  was 
an  English  monarch,  and  under  him  the 
constitutional  system  of  the  kingdom  be- 
came more  firmly  entrenched.  Normandy 
was  lost;  and  the  people  began  to  develop 


The  Norman  Church  65 

their  own  resources  and  to  work  for  na- 
tional prosperity.  Two  significant  laws 
were  passed,  the  Statute  of  Provisors  in 
1351,  and  the  Statute  of  Praemunire  in  1353. 
The  Statute  of  Provisors  decreed  that  the 
preferments  to  which  the  Pope  had  ap- 
pointed men,  should  be  forfeited  to  the 
crown,  and  Praemunire  provided  that  those 
who  appealed  to  the  Papal  Court  should  be 
deprived  of  their  lands,  and  either  banished 
or  imprisoned.  The  Papacy  was  further 
weakened  by  the  removal  of  the  Pope  from 
Rome  to  Avignon,  and  the  long  period  of 
what  was  called  the  Babylonian  captivity  of 
the  church,  during  which  the  spectacle  was 
presented  to  Europe  of  two  and  sometimes 
three  Popes  claiming  the  office  and  de- 
nouncing one  another.  The  reenactment 
of  the  Statute  of  Praemunire  in  1393,  was 
one  of  the  most  powerful  measures  against 
Rome  and  closely  connects  what  were 
called  the  Constitutions  of  Clarendon  with 
the  Reformation.  "  It  is  well  to  remember 


66  The  Episcopalians 

such  statutes  as  these,"  writes  the  present 
Bishop  of  Ripon,  "  for  they  constitute  a 
clear  and  changeless  witness  to  the  claim 
that  the  Church  of  England,  however  much 
and  how  often  its  rights  have  been  in- 
fringed, has  ever  been  regarded  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  country  as  a  National 
Church." 

A  herald  of  the  new  spirit  that  was  rising 
in  England  was  John  Wyclif.  Undoubt- 
edly the  greatest  man  that  the  English 
Church  has  ever  had,  a  foremost  Oxford 
scholar,  and  a  prolific  writer,  he  early  was 
recognized  as  a  commanding  figure.  He 
was  a  student  of  the  fathers,  especially 
Augustine  and  familiar  with  the  Aristotelian 
philosophy  and  the  writings  of  the  school- 
men. The  Bible,  however,  was  the  great 
source  of  his  inspiration.  With  perfect 
fearlessness  he  attacked  the  evils  of  his 
time,  and  demanded  the  purification  of  the 
church,  and  condemned  the  customs,  doc- 
trines and  rights  that  had  grown  up  with- 


The  Norman  Church  67 

out  the  authority  of  Scripture.  He  made 
the  Bible  the  sole  standard  of  faith  and 
practice;  the  Papal  Court  and  the  whole 
hierarchy  and  ecclesiastical  system  were 
attacked,  including  bishops,  monks  and 
canons.  "No  custom  in  the  church,"  said 
Wyclif,  "  confirmed  by  Popes  or  observed 
by  saints,  is  to  be  praised  save  in  so  far  as 
Jesus  Christ  confirms  it."  He  considered 
confession  and  penance  and  transubstan- 
tiation  as  mechanical  and  unreal.  In  many 
respects  the  greatest  work  of  Wyclif  was 
the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
English  language.  Up  to  this  time  the 
Latin  Vulgate  was  the  only  version,  though 
portions  of  the  Bible,  especially  the  Psalter, 
had  been  put  into  early  English  some  time 
before.  The  reception  of  Wyclif's  Bible  is 
thus  characterized  by  an  old  chronicler: 
"  Wyclif  translated  the  gospel  from  Latin 
into  the  Anglican,  not  the  Angelic 
tongue  .  .  .  and  thus  the  gospel  pearl  is 
scattered  and  trampled  upon  by  swine." 


68  The  Episcopalians 

Though  condemned  by  bishops  and  pro- 
vincial councils,  this  translation  opened  to 
the  English  people  the  rich  treasures  of 
Scripture  and  provided  weapons  which 
were  to  be  used  with  such  fatal  effect  on 
the  superstitions  and  corruptions  of  the 
church.  Gregory  XI,  in  1377,  issued  five 
bulls  against  Wyclif,  directing  that  he  be 
placed  on  trial.  He  was  tried,  but  was 
never  put  in  prison. 

The  sentiments  of  Wyclif  spread  through- 
out the  kingdom,  and  gained  the  sympathy 
of  all  classes.  Men  freely  began  to  criticise 
the  wealth  of  the  clergy,  and  to  examine 
for  themselves  into  the  sources  of  their  au- 
thority. The  peasant's  riots  began;  con- 
vents were  attacked;  there  was  violence 
against  the  monks;  these  disturbances 
were  connected  with  Wyclif's  teaching. 
The  most  direct  outcome  was  the  Lollard 
movement.  Many  Lollards  were  perse- 
cuted, and  at  times  the  agitations  ran  into 
fanatical  extremes,  but  the  total  result  was 


The  Norman  Church  69 

that  men  were  made  to  think  along  new 
and  independent  lines  of  action. 

Other  men  who  contributed  to  the  broad- 
ening of  the  thought  of  churchmen,  were 
Chaucer  and  Langland.  The  "Canterbury 
Tales  "  and  the  ' '  Vision  of  Piers  Ploughman  " 
and  other  popular  poetry  appealed  to  the 
people,  by  picturing  vividly  the  real  condi- 
tions and  enforcing  truth  by  homely  sar- 
casm. William  of  Ockam,  an  English 
scholar,  attempted  the  overthrow  of  scho- 
lasticism, while  Roger  Bacon  drew  atten- 
tion to  the  study  of  Greek  and  Hebrew. 
These  men  were  followed  later  by  the 
group  of  Oxford  humanists,  Erasmus, 
Colet  and  More,  who  were  free  in  their 
criticism  of  the  existing  order  and  preached 
reform;  they  were  Greek  scholars,  and  by 
their  comments  on  Scripture,  showed  the 
absolute  necessity  of  a  study  of  the  original 
languages  in  order  to  obtain  the  truth  of 
the  gospel. 

Continental  influences  were  also  felt  in 


jo  The  Episcopalians 

England.  John  Huss  the  Bohemian  re- 
former, preached  the  necessity  of  correcting 
the  abuses  in  the  church  and  condemned 
indulgences,  for  which  he  was  burned  at 
Constance,  1415.  Savonarola's  preaching  in 
Florence  became  known  in  England.  The 
Renaissance,  with  the  revival  of  classic 
learning  and  a  new  impulse  in  art  and  liter- 
ature, made  its  way  in  England.  A  spirit 
of  inquiry  and  freedom  was  abroad.  The 
invention  of  printing  made  possible  the 
diffusion  of  learning  and  the  interchange  of 
ideas.  What  are  known  as  the  Reforming 
Councils  of  the  fifteenth  century  were  very 
explicit  in  asserting  that  a  General  Council 
of  the  church  was  superior  in  power  to 
the  Pope,  that  the  voice  of  the  universal 
church  should  be  the  final  resort  in  de- 
termining policy  and  doctrine.  The  Coun- 
cil of  Constance  forced  upon  the  Pope  the 
acceptance  of  the  principle  that  he  must  be 
guided  by  its  decisions.  The  famous  de- 
cree announced  "that  every  lawfully  con- 


The  Norman  Church  71 

voked  CEcumenical  Council  representing 
the  church  derives  its  authority  immedi- 
ately from  Christ;  and  every  one,  the  Pope 
included,  is  subject  to  it  in  matters  of  faith, 
in  the  healing  of  schism,  and  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  church."  The  Council  of  Basle 
took  the  same  position. 

A  larger  outlook  characterized  the  times. 
The  Copernican  system  of  astronomy  gave 
expansion  to  the  thought  of  the  universe 
and  the  discovery  of  new  continents 
filled  the  imagination  with  new  wonders. 
The  coast  of  Guinea  was  discovered  in 
1460;  the  south  of  Africa  in  1486;  and  a 
little  later  Vasco  da  Gama  sailed  around  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  reaching  India.  Co- 
lumbus made  his  first  voyage  in  1492. 

These  various  influences  prepared  men  to 
break  away  from  long-accepted  customs 
and  to  inquire  freely  into  the  origin  and 
stability  of  the  old  order.  Doctrines  which 
had  been  accepted  on  authority  were  now 
rationally  examined,  and  false  claims  and 


J2  The  Episcopalians 

palpable  corruptions  were  fearlessly  chal- 
lenged. Such  was  the  attitude  of  thinking 
men  prior  to  the  Reformation;  and  the  rest- 
lessness of  the  English  people  under  Papal 
interference,  and  the  growth  in  the  church 
and  nation  of  the  national  spirit,  made  pos- 
sible the  transformation  which  was  soon  to 
take  place.  Great  events  in  history  never 
occur  without  long  preparation.  The  crisis 
may  be  suddenly  precipitated,  but  the 
causes  that  give  rise  to  it  have  been  age- 
long in  generating. 

In  the  period  just  before  the  Reformation, 
the  Church  of  England  was  thoroughly  or- 
ganized with  archbishops,  bishops,  cathe- 
dral chapters,  archdeacons,  and  clergy. 
The  appointment  to  these  positions  did  not 
come  from  Rome,  for  the  Statute  for  Pro- 
visors  prohibited  it.  The  crown  virtually 
selected  the  bishops.  The  increase  in  the 
power  of  the  crown  was  everywhere  dis- 
cernible. Edward  IV  strengthened  his  pre- 
rogatives, and  Henry  VII  added  to  the  dig- 


The  Norman  Church  73 

nity  and  honor  of  the  Royal  House  by  his 
accumulation  of  wealth.  The  growing  in- 
dependence of  the  English  monarchy  made 
it  unnecessary  to  seek  the  favor  of  the  Pope; 
and,  backed  by  the  consciousness  of  strength 
on  the  part  of  the  people,  the  crown  was 
fast  approaching  the  moment  when  it  could 
bid  defiance  to  the  Papal  Court,  and  free  it- 
self and  the  people  from  the  authority  and 
the  exactions  of  Rome.  The  continuity  of 
the  English  Church  from  the  earliest  times 
was  maintained,  and  the  eclipse  of  its  inde- 
pendence after  the  Norman  Conquest  was 
fast  disappearing.  Englishmen  for  the 
most  part  occupied  the  positions  of  im- 
portance; and  the  leaven  of  dissatisfaction 
with  foreign  control  was  working  every- 
where. 

In  addition  to  the  stately  cathedrals, 
beautiful  parish  churches  dotted  the  land, 
and  the  abbeys  and  monasteries  were 
numerous  and  rich.  Hospitals  had  been 
founded,  like  St.  Bartholomew's  and  St. 


74  The  Episcopalians 

Thomas'  in  London;  new  colleges  had 
been  added  to  the  universities,  and  great 
schools,  like  Winchester  and  Eton,  had  been 
founded.  The  services  in  the  churches 
were  in  Latin  according  to  various  litur- 
gical forms.  The  liturgies  in  use  in  the 
English  Church  were  of  slow  and  of 
varied  growth.  Augustine  brought  with 
him  the  Roman  use,  but  with  the  consent 
of  Pope  Gregory,  he  modified  this  by  the 
introduction  of  certain  features  from  the 
Gallican  ritual;  thus  the  creation  of  a 
distinctive  national  liturgy  was  begun,  both 
in  saying  the  mass  and  the  daily  offices. 
Further  changes  were  made  when  the 
French  influence  was  dominant  during  the 
Norman  period;  and  uniformity  in  the 
important  religious  centres  was  not  always 
maintained.  The  custom  of  the  diocese  in 
the  arrangement  of  services,  the  method  of 
chanting,  and  the  introduction  of  new 
collects,  was  designated  a  distinct  "use." 
These  "  uses  "  were  known  by  the  name  of 


The  Norman  Church  75 

the  diocese  where  they  originated,  the 
most  notable  being  those  of  York,  Here- 
ford, Lincoln,  and  Sarum.  In  1085  Os- 
mund, Bishop  of  Salisbury,  after  building 
his  Cathedral,  put  forth  his  "  custom- 
book,"  which  became  known  as  the  Sarum 
Use;  this  became  a  model,  and  was  fol- 
lowed in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

Before  the  Reformation  the  different 
offices  were  contained  in  separate  books, 
used  as  the  occasion  demanded.  The  four 
chief  books  were,  "The  Breviary,"  "The 
Missal,"  "The  Ritual,"  and  "The  Pontifi- 
cal." "  The  Breviary  "  contained  the  offices 
of  the  Canonical  Hours,  Matins,  Lauds, 
Vespers,  Compline,  and  others,  and  was 
used  for  the  daily  service  in  the  monaster- 
ies. "The  Missal"  was  the  mass-book, 
and  contained  the  order  for  the  celebration 
of  the  Eucharist,  or  Holy  Communion. 
Special  offices,  like  Services  for  Baptism, 
Matrimony,  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  Burial 
of  the  Dead,  were  contained  in  "The 


76  The  Episcopalians 

Ritual."  In  "The  Pontifical"  only  those 
offices  which  the  bishops  performed  were 
included.  There  were  also  other  liturgical 
books  in  use:  "The  Hymnarium  "  "The 
Psaltarium,"  "  The  Legenda,"  containing 
passages  to  be  read  from  Scripture,  from 
the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  or  the  Lives 
of  the  Saints. 

These  various  offices  when  translated 
into  English,  and  condensed  and  changed 
in  parts,  formed  the  basis  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  which  was  one  of  the 
distinctive  gifts  of  the  Reformation  to  the 
English  people. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    REFORMATION 

THE  necessity  for  the  reformation  of  the 
church  was  felt  by  the  keenest  minds  of 
Europe  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  Papacy  had  become  a  mere 
political  machine,  playing  kingdom  against 
kingdom,  in  the  hope  of  gaining  more 
temporal  power;  the  monasteries  had  be- 
come places  of  corruption;  the  doctrines 
taught  and  the  practices  enjoined  were 
questioned  by  men  of  learning;  and  it  was 
seen  that  if  the  spiritual  power  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  was  to  be  upheld,  the 
appeal  must  be  made  from  the  traditions  of 
men  to  the  pure  sources  of  Holy  Scripture. 

Martin  Luther  began  his  great  work  of  re- 
form in  Germany  against  the  sale  of  In- 
dulgences, and  other  practices,  in  1517, 
77 


78  The  Episcopalians 

when  he  nailed  ninety-five  theses  "in  ex- 
planation of  the  power  of  Indulgences  "  to 
the  door  of  the  church  in  Wittenberg. 
Later,  at  the  Leipsic  Disputation,  in  1519, 
for  fourteen  days  he  debated  the  question 
of  the  Pope's  primacy,  repentance,  and 
purgatory.  The  movement  took  on  a 
European  significance  and  rallied  to  the 
standard  of  Luther  thoughtful  men  in  every 
land.  By  his  numerous  writings  and  bold 
activity,  he  became  the  head  of  one  of  the 
greatest  revolutions  in  the  history  of 
Christendom.  Melancthon,  that  gentle 
scholar,  reinforced  many  of  the  positions 
taken  by  Luther,  and  as  his  fame  grew 
exercised  great  influence  in  Europe.  In 
Switzerland,  Zwingli  began  the  Reforma- 
tion which  was  continued  by  the  master 
mind  of  Calvin.  The  desire  for  reform 
was  neither  local  nor  national:  it  was 
wide-spread  in  every  Christian  centre. 

In  England,  Luther's  books   were    read, 
many  of  them  being  smuggled  in  merchan- 


The  Reformation  79 

disc.  His  treatise  "On  the  Babylonish 
Captivity  of  the  Church,"  in  which  he  de- 
clared against  the  Pope's  authority,  and  as- 
serted that  four  of  the  seven  sacraments 
were  of  human  origin,  became  universally 
known  because  of  the  reply  written  to  it  in 
1521,  by  King  Henry  VIII.  Henry's  book, 
the  "Assertio  Septem  Sacramentorum," 
gained  for  him  the  title  conferred  upon  him 
by  Papal  Bull,  of  Fidei  Defensor.  England, 
in  many  respects,  was  as  ready  for  reforma- 
tion as  other  parts  of  Europe.  There  were 
many  men  being  almost  unconsciously  pre- 
pared to  play  the  parts  of  such  leaders  as 
Tyndale,  Cranmer,  and  Latimer,  just  as  in 
the  state  the  national  spirit  had  grown  so 
strong  that  Parliaments  were  ready  to  assert 
the  independence  of  the  English  people. 

Henry  VIII  ascended  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land in  1509,  and  reigned  until  1547,  and 
thus  lived  during  the  period  of  the  acute 
stages  of  church  reform.  It  was  natural 
that  he  should  be  a  conspicuous  figure  in 


80  The  Episcopalians 

the  discussions  of  the  time;  and  in  the 
strange  way  that  providence  often  acts  the 
personal  desires  of  this  man  made  him  co- 
operate with  the  forces  that  were  every- 
where making  for  reform  and  freedom. 

Henry  was  designed  by  his  father  for  the 
priesthood,  for  his  brother  Arthur  was  the 
heir  apparent,  and  had  been  married  to  Cath- 
erine of  Aragon  to  secure  a  close  alliance 
with  Spain.  Henry's  interest  in  theological 
matters  was  therefore  strong  from  the  first, 
rather  on  the  polemical  than  on  the  spiritual 
side.  After  Arthur's  death,  the  need  for  an 
alliance  with  Spain  being  as  great  as  ever, 
Henry  was  married  to  his  brother's  widow. 
A  papal  dispensation  was  necessary  to  per- 
mit the  king  to  marry  his  deceased  broth- 
er's wife.  This  was  granted,  and  Henry 
married  Catherine  in  1509,  he  then  being 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  having  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne  about  six  months  be- 
fore. For  almost  eighteen  years,  until 
1527,  he  lived  with  Catherine,  having  as 


The  Reformation  81 

issue  one  child,  Mary.  Then  he  began  to 
agitate  the  question  of  a  divorce,  partly  be- 
cause he  desired  a  male  heir,  and  partly  be- 
cause he  had  become  infatuated  with  Anne 
Boleyn,  whom  he  wished  to  make  his  queen. 
Through  intrigue  and  pressure  the  king 
tried  to  get  the  consent  of  the  Pope  to  the 
annulment  of  the  marriage  with  Catherine; 
and  the  reasons  for  its  dissolution  were  dis- 
cussed in  many  of  the  leading  universities 
of  Europe.  Henry  really  had  canon  law 
on  his  side;  though  his  scruples  may  have 
originated  in  impure  motives,  he  was  de- 
termined to  have  his  way.  Wolsey  fell  be- 
cause he  was  not  active  enough  in  the 
king's  cause;  and  Henry,  seizing  the  op- 
portunity given  by  the  growth  of  English 
nationality,  determined  to  free  himself  and 
his  kingdom  forever  from  the  Papacy. 

The  first  step  taken  in  this  process  of  de- 
fiance by  the  English  Church,  was  the  com- 
pliance in  1531  by  the  convocations  of  York 
and  Canterbury,  to  the  king's  request  for  a 


82  The  Episcopalians 

large  sum  of  money  and  the  acceptance  of  the 
words  "  of  the  English  Church  and  Clergy, 
of  which  the  king  is  alone  protector  and 
supreme  head,"  with  the  change  "as 
the  law  of  Christ  permits,  even  the  supreme 
head."  This  was  a  practical  abjura- 
tion of  the  papal  supremacy.  This  was 
followed  by  the  great  Statute  of  Appeals 
passed  in  1 533  which  prohibited  appeals  to 
Rome  and  contained  in  preamble  these 
significant  words:  "The  English  Church 
which  always  hath  been  reputed  and  also 
found  of  that  sort  that  both  for  knowledge, 
integrity,  and  sufficiency  of  numbers,  it 
hath  been  always  thought  and  also  at  this 
hour  sufficient  and  meet  of  itself  without 
the  intermeddling  of  any  exterior  person  or 
persons,  to  declare  and  determine  all  such 
doubts  and  to  administer  all  such  offices 
and  duties  as  to  their  rooms  spiritual  doth 
appertain." 

After  convocations  had  already  acted,  the 
king  then  put  forth  in  1534,  his  "  Proclama- 


The  Reformation  83 

tion  for  the  Abolishing  of  the  Usurped 
Power  of  the  Pope."  So  with  other  neces- 
sary acts  of  convocation  and  Parliament,  the 
English  nation  and  church  attained  what 
they  had  been  struggling  for  during  the 
whole  Norman  period,  an  independent  or- 
ganic life  continuous  with  the  British, 
Saxon,  and  Keltic  Churches. 

There  are  few  apologies  to  be  made  for 
the  character  of  Henry  VIII.  He  sacrificed 
righteousness  to  personal  pleasure,  and  his 
policies  were  dictated  by  arrogance  rather 
than  by  wisdom.  "He  is  a  prince,"  said 
Wolsey,  "  of  a  most  royal  courage:  sooner 
than  miss  any  part  of  his  will,  he  will  en- 
danger one-half  of  his  kingdom."  What- 
ever may  be  said  of  his  various  marriages, 
the  most  important  to  England  was  the  di- 
vorce of  Catherine  and  the  alliance  with 
Anne  Boleyn,  for  this  act  was  the  occasion- 
ing cause  of  a  new  epoch  in  English  history. 

Through  Henry's  reign  there  was  com- 
paratively little  done  in  the  direction  of  the 


84  The  Episcopalians 

actual  reform  of  the  church  in  doctrine  and 
practice.  Though  Cranmer  was  ready  for 
decided  changes  and  the  king  himself  en- 
couraged heresy,  his  reign  was  preparatory 
for  further  modifications.  There  was  the 
struggle  between  the  reformers  like  Latimer, 
and  the  anti-reformers,  like  Gardiner  Bishop 
of  Winchester,  and  Sir  Thomas  More,  who 
lost  his  head  in  standing  up  for  the  old  order. 
The  suppression  of  the  monasteries  inaugu- 
rated by  the  king  was  as  much  prompted  by 
avarice  for  their  great  wealth,  as  by  a  desire 
to  purify  them.  The  ruined  monasteries 
and  abbeys  of  England  are  a  standing  evi- 
dence of  the  decay  of  monastic  life,  which 
disappeared  with  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Roman  influence.  The  beautiful  remains 
of  Tintern,  Fountains  Abbey,  and  others, 
indicate  that  progress  was  not  unattended 
by  loss;  and  though  the  gain  in  the  end  is 
greater,  it  will  always  seem  unfortunate 
that  truth  could  not  be  vindicated  without 
less  sacrifice. 


The  Reformation  85 

Signs  of  doctrinal  reformation  soon  be- 
came evident.  Tyndale's  New  Testament 
was  read  eagerly  by  the  people,  and  Lati- 
mer's  sermons  against  image  worship  and 
purgatory  were  popular.  For  the  guidance 
of  the  people  "  the  Ten  Articles,"  containing 
a  few  reformed  ideas  was  sanctioned  in 
1536,  and  the  manual  called  "The  Institu- 
tion of  a  Christian  Man,"  prepared  carefully 
by  the  clergy,  was  published  in  1537.  This 
book  was  not  radical,  yet  it  clearly  affirmed 
the  rights  of  the  national  church.  The  free 
right  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  was  con- 
ceded, when  by  royal  decree  it  was  ordered 
in  1538,  that  the  Great  Bible,  or  Cranmer's 
Bible,  should  be  placed  in  every  church. 
The  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Ten 
Commandments  were  also  taught  to  the 
people  in  English. 

Controversies  continued,  and  neither 
priest  nor  people  could  tell  in  the  perplexity 
of  the  change,  what  doctrines  they  could 
hold.  Some  were  for  the  whole  Papal 


86  The  Episcopalians 

system  except  the  Papacy,  others  hoped  to 
bring  back  the  power  of  the  Pope;  and  still 
others  like  Cranmer,  and  Thomas  Crom- 
well, desired  to  bring  the  teaching  of  the 
church  more  in  accord  with  Luther's  ideas. 
Henry  VIII  never  forgot  his  controversy 
with  Luther,  and  later  awoke  to  the  im- 
portance of  doctrinal  discussion.  He  prob- 
ably agreed  with  the  famous  six  articles 
put  forth  in  1539,  which  marked  a  triumph 
of  the  anti-reforming  party.  In  these, 
transubstantiation  was  affirmed;  the  two 
elements,  bread  and  wine,  were  declared 
not  necessary;  the  clergy  were  not  allowed 
to  marry;  masses  were  to  be  continued,  and 
confession  was  required. 

The  changes  in  the  church  service  were 
few  in  Henry's  reign,  though  they  were  im- 
portant. The  Litany  was  made  into  Eng- 
lish and  a  lesson  from  the  Old  Testament 
and  one  from  the  New,  read  every  Sunday, 
took  the  place  of  extracts  from  the  legend- 
ary lives  of  the  saints. 


The  Reformation  87 

Henry's  reign  was  a  period  of  fermenta- 
tion. The  mere  casting  off  of  the  Papacy 
did  not  reform  the  church.  The  whole 
Roman  system  of  doctrine  and  worship 
was  still  intrenched.  Many  in  England 
were  opposed  to  change,  and  others  were 
determined  to  go  back  to  the  primitive 
methods  of  Apostolic  doctrine  and  practice. 
The  accretions  of  centuries  were  to  be 
swept  away,  and  the  gospel  must  be  made 
to  emerge  in  beauty  and  simplicity.  There 
were  strong  men  on  both  sides;  and  neither 
king  nor  Parliament  could  decide  until  the 
people  of  England  decided,  and  the  Refor- 
mation became  a  universal  movement. 
When  Henry  died,  the  reform  had  started, 
and  it  was  not  to  be  completed  until  after 
many  of  his  successors  had  passed  away. 
He,  however,  succeeded  in  casting  off  the 
foreign  influence,  and  rescued  the  church 
from  Papal  captivity.  To  say  that  Henry 
VIII  founded  the  Church  of  England  is 
as  absurd  as  to  claim  that  he  founded 


88  The  Episcopalians 

the  English  nation.  He  was  one  factor  in 
the  long  process  of  the  development  of  both 
the  English  Church  and  the  English  nation; 
and  during  his  reign  the  crisis  was  precip- 
itated which  assured  the  independence  of 
the  church  and  of  the  nation. 

Edward  VI,  a  boy  of  nine,  the  son  of 
Henry's  third  wife,  Jane  Seymour,  succeeded 
to  the  throne  in  1 547.  Somerset  was  elected 
Lord  Protector.  He  was  in  sympathy  with 
the  Reformation;  and  Cranmer,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  a  learned  and  moder- 
ate man,  who  was  also  a  reformer,  became 
the  great  ecclesiastical  power.  The  church 
now  took  in  hand  the  purifying  of  itself, 
and  most  of  the  important  acts  were  due  to 
the  initiative  of  churchmen  rather  than  the 
decree  of  the  monarch.  The  action  of  the 
great  synods  of  the  English  Church  was  a 
strong  bulwark  for  reform.  The  cup  was 
restored  to  the  laity  in  1547;  and  a  joint 
committee  of  the  two  convocations  of  Can- 
terbury and  York  was  selected  to  compile  the 


The  Reformation  89 

first  English  Communion  Service.  The 
committee  met  to  "  consult  about  one  uni- 
form order  for  administering  the  Holy 
Communion  in  the  English  tongue,  under 
both  kinds  of  bread  and  wine."  With  the 
king's  sanction  the  Order  of  Communion 
was  published  in  1548.  After  convocation 
had  acted,  Parliament  then  accepted  the  de- 
cisions and  made  them  the  law  of  the 
realm. 

The  three  most  important  events  in  the 
history  of  the  church,  in  the  reign  of  Ed- 
ward VI,  were  the  putting  forth  of  the  First 
Prayer-book,  and  the  Second  Prayer-book, 
and  the  Forty-two  Articles.  The  need  for 
liturgical  forms  in  the  English  language,  was 
apparent  to  all,  and  a  greater  uniformity  of 
usage  was  demanded.  A  commission  was 
appointed  to  compile  the  First  Prayer-book, 
which  came  into  use  in  1549.  It  retained 
many  of  the  prayers  and  forms  which  had 
been  in  use  before,  but  there  were  impor- 
tant additions.  It  had  many  Protestant  ele- 


90  The  Episcopalians 

ments  in  it,  for  the  influence  is  to  be  traced 
in  its  pages,  of  a  book  called  "The  Consul- 
tation of  Archbishop  Herman"  which  had 
largely  been  the  work  of  Melancthon  and 
Bucer,  and  drew  from  Luther's  Nuremburg 
services.  On  the  whole  it  was  conserva- 
tive, but  distasteful  to  the  Romanizing 
party.  The  explanatory  directions  which 
were  issued  also  in  1549,  indicate  how  far 
the  anti-Roman  influence  had  progressed. 
The  Mass  was  forbidden;  no  sacring-bells 
were  to  be  used,  nor  were  lights  allowed 
upon  the  Lord's  Table;  purgatory,  prayers 
to  the  saints,  images  and  holy  water  were 
not  sanctioned. 

The  First  Prayer-book  was  simple  in  tone, 
and  more  congregational  than  the  Latin 
services.  The  eight  services  of  the  Breviary 
were  reduced  to  two,  Matins  and  Evensong. 
The  Litany  was  arranged  by  Cranmer  and 
is  drawn  from  the  Sarum  Use.  The  Bap- 
tismal Office  and  the  Order  of  Confirmation 
followed  the  Sarum  Office.  The  most  im- 


The  Reformation  91 

portant  service  was  "The  Supper  of  the 
Lorde  and  the  Holy  Communion,  commonly 
called  the  Masse."  Much  of  the  contro- 
versy of  this  period  centred  on  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
There  were  practically  three  views:  that  of 
Zwingli  who  taught  that  it  was  merely  a 
commemorative  feast;  that  of  Luther,  who 
held  to  the  Doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence  of 
Christ  in  the  Sacrament,  taken  together 
with  the  Elements;  that  of  the  Roman 
Church,  which  taught  that  the  essential 
bread  and  wine  were  actually  changed  into 
the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ.  Transub- 
stantiation  had  been  the  cause  of  gross 
superstitions,  so  it  was  eliminated  from  the 
First  Prayer-book,  as  also  was  the  com- 
memorative idea,  though  this  is  partly  rep- 
resented. The  Real  Presence  is  not  denied; 
and  those  who  believed  in  this  doctrine  were 
able  to  use  the  office,  though  the  Elevation 
of  the  Host  was  forbidden.  A  genuine  re- 
ligious service  was  thus  provided  which  en- 


92  The  Episcopalians 

abled  the  worshipper  to  receive  Christ  into 
his  heart,  through  his  receptive  faith,  and  by 
means  of  the  Sacrament  to  enter  into  one- 
ness with  his  Saviour. 

The  First  Prayer-book  was  not  radical 
enough.  It  was  seen  that  further  changes 
must  be  made.  Certain  foreign  reformers, 
Martin  Bucer,  John  a  Lasco,  and  Peter 
Martyr,  had  come  to  England;  and  their 
criticism  of  the  Liturgy,  together  with  the 
growing  desire  to  carry  reform  to  its  ut- 
most, was  the  cause  of  the  putting  forth  in 
1552  of  the  Second  Prayer-book  of  Ed- 
ward VI. 

In  the  Second  Prayer-book  Cranmer  and 
Ridley  had  a  free  hand.  Its  existence  was 
due  to  the  initiative  of  the  English  Church 
and  was  undoubtedly  accepted  by  convo- 
cation, though  doubt  has  been  cast  upon  its 
synodical  authority.  The  evidence,  how- 
ever, seems  to  be  conclusive  that  it  ex- 
pressed the  mind  of  the  church  at  the  time 
it  was  promulgated.  The  numerous  vest- 


The  Reformation  93 

ments  were  reduced  to  one,  the  surplice 
being  the  only  ecclesiastical  garment  to  be 
worn  by  the  clergy.  The  words  in  admin- 
istering the  Holy  Communion  were  changed 
to  read:  "Take  and  eat  this  in  remem- 
brance that  Christ  died  for  thee."  In  what 
is  called  the  Black  Rubric  of  the  commun- 
ion service  it  is  declared  that  kneeling  does 
not  mean  "that  any  adoration  is  done  or 
ought  to  be  done,  either  unto  the  Sacra- 
mental bread  and  wine,  there  bodily  re- 
ceived, or  unto  any  real  or  essential  pres- 
ence there  being  Christ's  natural  flesh  and 
blood.  For,  as  concerning  the  sacramental 
bread  and  wine,  they  remain  still  in  their 
very  natural  substances,  and  therefore  may 
not  be  adored,  for  that  were  idolatry,  to  be 
abhorred  of  all  faithful  Christians."  The 
Forty-two  Articles  of  Religion,  which  af- 
terwards were  the  basis  of  the  Thirty-nine 
Articles  were  published  in  1552,  and  they 
mark  a  decided  advance  in  the  Reformation. 
After  the  death  of  Edward  VI,  in  1553, 


94  The  Episcopalians 

Queen  Mary,  sometimes  called  Bloody 
Mary,  succeeded  to  the  throne.  As  she  was 
a  strict  adherent  of  the  Roman  Church  the 
tide  of  reaction  set  in,  and  Papal  influence 
returned  with  a  rush.  She  prohibited 
preaching  without  a  royal  license,  and 
meetings  of  convocation  were  not  allowed. 
England  was  humiliated  when  the  two 
houses  of  Parliament  bowed  down  before 
the  Cardinal,  the  representative  of  the  Pope, 
and  were  absolved  for  their  previous  acts  of 
independence.  Many  of  the  clergy,  espe- 
cially those  who  were  married,  were  driven 
from  their  parishes,  and  the  bishops  who 
had  sympathized  with  reform  were  de- 
prived of  their  sees.  By  consistent  perse- 
cution it  was  determined  to  root  out  the 
heresy  of  freedom.  The  fires  of  Smithfield 
were  lighted  and  a  continuous  procession 
was  marched  into  the  flames.  Dr.  Rogers, 
Prebendary  of  St.  Paul's,  was  burned  in 
1 555 ;  Bishop  Hooper  was  burned  at  Glouces- 
ter, and  Dr.  Roland  Taylor  met  the  same 


The  Reformation  95 

fate  in  Hadley.  The  three  most  conspic- 
uous men  who  fell  victims  to  Mary's  perse- 
cutions were  Cranmer,  Latimer  and  Ridley. 
Cranmer  had  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  re- 
form from  the  beginning;  and  though  he 
may  have  made  mistakes  and  been  gov- 
erned at  times  by  mixed  motives,  he  had  in 
the  main  been  earnest  and  progressive. 
Latimer,  a  bold  and  truthful  man,  had  won 
the  hearts  of  the  people  by  his  eloquence 
and  homely  wit.  Ridley  was  a  learned  and 
refined  man,  a  keen  antagonist  to  Roman 
claims,  and  a  preacher  of  primitive  Christi- 
anity. Ridley  and  Latimer  were  tried  at 
Oxford,  and  were  burned  together  in  front 
of  Baliol  College.  "  Be  of  good  cheer, 
Master  Ridley,"  said  Latimer,  "and  play 
the  man,  for  we  shall  light  this  day  such  a 
candle  in  England  as  by  the  Grace  of  God 
shall  never  be  put  out."  At  first  when 
pressed,  Cranmer  recanted.  He  was  hys- 
terically afraid  of  a  violent  death,  but  later 
his  courage  stood  by  him,  and  as  he  went 


96  The  Episcopalians 

to  the  stake,  he  held  his  right  hand  in  the 
flames  because  with  it  he  had  signed  his 
recantation. 

The  policy  of  Mary  was  a  sample  of 
what  the  English  people  might  expect  if 
Rome  were  once  more  in  control.  The  na- 
tion learned  a  lesson,  and  never  forgot  the 
martyrdom  of  its  leading  bishops.  Mary's 
death,  in  1558,  made  way  for  Elizabeth, 
whose  reign  was  marked  by  an  increasing 
conflict  between  the  rapidly  crystallizing 
parties  in  the  church. 

During  the  reign  of  Mary  many  of  the 
bishops  and  clergy  sought  refuge  on  the 
continent,  and  settled  in  such  towns  as 
Basle,  Zurich,  Geneva,  and  Frankfort.  Here 
they  came  in  contact  with  the  theology  of 
Calvin,  and  listened  to  the  criticisms  that 
were  made  on  the  English  Reformation  and 
the  prayer-book,  which  Calvin  said  con- 
tained "tolerable  fooleries"  and  "popish 
dregs."  The  troubles  at  Frankfort,  result- 
ing in  violent  discussions  between  John 


The  Reformation  97 

Knox  and  Dr.  Cox  as  to  the  use  of  the 
Liturgy,  and  the  attempted  substitution  of 
the  service  approved  by  Calvin,  were  the 
early  signs  of  the  rise  of  the  Puritan  spirit 
which  was  destined  to  exert  such  a  great 
influence  on  the  history  of  the  English 
Church.  On  the  return  of  these  church- 
men, many  of  them  afterwards  bishops,  a 
desire  for  a  radical  departure  from  the  old 
customs  was  fostered,  and  a  demand  for 
further  change  grew  insistent,  and  the  long 
struggle  became  acute  between  the  Papists, 
the  English  churchmen,  and  the  Puritans. 

Only  one  of  the  Marian  Bishops,  Bishop 
of  Llandaff,  remained  in  his  see  when 
Elizabeth  ascended  the  throne;  the  others 
were  vacant  either  by  death  or  deprivation. 
Matthew  Parker  was  appointed  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  and  he  was  consecrated 
December  17,  1559,  in  Lambeth  Chapel. 
The  other  bishoprics  were  filled  in  due 
course.  A  foolish  tale  was  believed  by 
some,  that  Parker  and  the  other  bishops 


98  The  Episcopalians 

had  not  been  properly  consecrated,  but  had 
met  at  the  Nag's  Head,  an  inn  in  Cheapside, 
and,  with  no  religious  ceremony,  proceeded 
to  consecrate  one  another.  This  story  is 
called  the  Nag's  Head  Fable,  and  was  de- 
signed by  certain  Romanists  to  show  that 
the  English  succession  was  imperfect. 
Few  intelligent  Roman  scholars  hold  it  to- 
day, for  it  has  been  shown  over  and  over 
again  to  be  a  clumsy  falsehood. 

One  of  the  first  subjects  that  Elizabeth 
took  up  was  the  setting  forth  of  the  prayer- 
book;  and  the  question  was,  which  prayer- 
book,  the  first  or  second  of  Edward  VI. 
The  second  book  contained  many  more  re- 
formed ideas  than  the  first.  The  basis  of 
the  Elizabethan  prayer-book  was  the 
Second  Book  of  Edward  VI,  and  a  modi- 
fied Church  of  England  service  became 
the  law.  The  act  of  uniformity  required 
that  this  service  should  be  used.  Dur- 
ing the  Elizabethan  period  the  Church 
of  England  was  compelled  to  hold  its 


The  Reformation  99 

way  between  the  two  extremes  that 
were  threatening  it;  those  who  were 
scheming  for  a  return  to  Rome,  and  those 
who  were  eager  for  the  destruction  of  the 
Church's  distinctive  marks.  Secret  in- 
trigues and  political  dangers,  culminating 
in  the  Spanish  Armada,  were  not  able  to 
cause  revolt  against  the  queen,  nor  to 
make  any  headway  against  the  church. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Puritan  movement 
gained  force  both  within  the  church  and 
without,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
greater  conflict  which  was  to  come  when 
the  church  was  temporarily  overthrown 
during  the  period  of  the  Commonwealth. 

The  Puritans  not  only  objected  to  many 
portions  of  the  prayer-book,  but  also  to  the 
use  of  the  surplice  which  was  often  referred 
to  as  a  rag  of  Popery.  They  objected  to 
the  sign  of  the  cross  in  Baptism,  the  re- 
quirement of  sponsors,  and  the  act  of 
kneeling  at  Holy  Communion.  Others  de- 
sired to  discontinue  the  use  of  the  prayer- 


loo  The  Episcopalians 

book.  There  were  great  varieties  of  views, 
and  different  movements  sprang  up  of  a 
more  or  less  revolutionary  character.  The 
rights  of  the  crown  were  called  in  question, 
as  well  as  the  whole  constitution  of  the 
government;  and  the  necessity  of  having 
bishops  was  discussed,  and  the  right  of 
officiating  without  episcopal  ordination  was 
hotly  debated.  "The  Book  of  Discipline" 
set  forth  by  Cartwright  and  Travers,  based 
on  a  Geneva  model,  became  a  guide  to 
many  who,  though  Puritan  in  sympathy, 
did  not  leave  the  Church.  Richard 
Hooker's  book  "Of  the  Laws  of  Ecclesi- 
astical Polity"  was  a  strong  bulwark  of 
defense  of  the  Church  of  England,  show- 
ing that  it  is  "Protestant  because  it  is 
Catholic  and  Catholic  because  it  is  Prot- 
estant." 

The  intellectual  activity  of  the  Elizabethan 
epoch  with  its  spirit  of  adventure  and  out- 
look into  new  fields  of  discovery  and 
thought,  gave  zest  to  all  of  these  conflicts. 


The  Reformation  101 

New  ideas  began  to  ferment.  Men  losing 
grip  upon  the  past  were  extravagant  in 
their  boldness  to  seek  the  new.  The 
Puritan  movement  was  a  logical  develop- 
ment from  the  principles  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, and  if  treated  with  more  sanity  and 
judgment  by  those  in  power  it  would  not 
have  resulted  in  dividing  the  allegiance  of 
English  Christianity  into  the  Church  of 
England  on  the  one  side  and  non-con- 
formist bodies  on  the  other.  The  Brown- 
ists,  holding  that  each  congregation  was  a 
law  unto  itself,  the  Anabaptists,  and  the 
other  Separatists,  began  the  actual  schism 
which  widened  into  movements  of  national 
importance.  It  was  strange  that  such  a 
fierce  controversy  should  have  raged  about 
the  use  of  the  surplice  in  public  worship, 
but  this  white  linen  garment  became  to  the 
opponents  a  symbol  for  Roman  teaching, 
and  they  were  determined  not  to  use  it. 
Many  would  not  conform  to  the  prayer- 
book;  and  Elizabeth  who  never  liked  non- 


1O2  The  Episcopalians 

conformity,  permitted  severe  measures  to 
be  used  against  the  Separatists.  Persecu- 
tions began  again,  and  the  fires  of  Smith- 
field  were  once  more  lighted.  After  the 
death  of  Archbishop  Parker,  1575,  Grindal 
succeeded  him,  but  fell  into  disfavor  be- 
cause he  permitted  prophesyings,  that  is, 
a  free  expression  of  opinion  on  theological 
matters,  by  means  of  preaching  and 
debates.  Archbishop  Whitgift  who  be- 
came primate  in  1583,  however,  was  a 
determined  enemy  of  the  Separatists,  and 
his  rigorous  policy  intensified  the  spirit  of 
partisanship. 

As  a  distinctly  religious  movement  Pres- 
byterian Puritanism  made  strides  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  but  after  this  it  became 
as  much  a  political  as  a  religious  agitation. 
The  reaction  set  in  and  a  strong  loyalty  to 
the  Church  of  England  was  developed  by 
such  men  as  Andrews,  Overall,  and  Hars- 
net.  Robert  Brown,  the  founder  of  the 
Independents,  whose  followers  sailed  for 


The  Reformation  103 

New  England  in  the  Mayflower,  returned 
to  the  Church  of  England  and  died  in  com- 
munion with  her.  Thomas  Cartwright, 
called  the  Father  of  Puritanism,  also  sub- 
mitted to  the  church,  and  when  dying  ex- 
pressed "his  sorrow  for  the  unnecessary 
troubles  he  had  caused  the  church  by  the 
schism  he  had  been  the  great  fomenter  of." 
Though  Elizabeth  was  determined  to 
guard  the  religious  peace  of  her  realm,  and 
set  herself  against  Puritanism,  she  was  gov- 
erned by  a  well-considered  policy  of  com- 
promise. She  could  not  stem  the  rising 
tide  of  inquiry  and  the  dissatisfaction  on  the 
part  of  the  people  with  whatever  seemed 
like  a  return  to  mediaeval  practice  or  teach- 
ing. There  were  many  causes  which  led  to 
the  growth  of  Puritanism.  The  universal 
activity  of  the  Renaissance,  and  the  intel- 
lectual virility  that  resulted  from  it,  helped 
to  deepen  men's  religious  convictions  and 
made  them  less  content  with  forms  and 
ceremonies,  and  more  responsive  to  per- 


104  The  Episcopalians 

sonal  piety.  The  familiarity  with  the  Bible, 
made  possible  through  the  translations  of 
the  Scripture  by  Tyndale  and  Coverdale, 
and  the  small  Geneva  Bibles  which  came 
into  general  use  in  the  churches  and  the 
homes,  was  an  important  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment of  freer  thought.  The  influence 
of  the  book  on  Englishmen  was  felt  in  many 
ways.  Every-day  speech  was  moulded  by 
it;  and  the  character  of  the  people  was 
changed  through  its  power.  They  were 
brought  face  to  face  with  the  great  prob- 
lems of  life,  and  a  moral  intensity  was 
created  which  brought  with  it  seriousness 
and  spiritual  force.  The  Spanish  attempt 
to  bring  England  back  to  Rome  only  inten- 
sified the  Protestantism  of  the  realm.  The 
soldiers  who  went  to  fight  for  the  Hugue- 
nots in  France  returned  bringing  with  them 
Huguenot  theology.  The  teachings  of  Cal- 
vin helped  men  to  realize  the  dignity  of 
their  lives  and  their  equality  before  God. 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  influence 


The  Reformation  105 

of  genuine  Puritanism  was  confined  to  those 
who  left  the  Church  of  England,  or  founded 
Scotch  Presbyterianism ;  it  entered  fully  into 
the  life  of  the  church,  and  was  one  of  the 
many  forces  cooperating  to  develop  the  re- 
ligious life  of  the  Church  of  England.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  extravagances  of  Pur- 
itanism on  the  one  side,  and  the  lack  of 
elasticity  on  the  part  of  the  church,  there 
might  not  have  been  the  development  of 
sectarianism  which  was  the  outcome. 

But  political  causes  were  partly  responsi- 
ble for  the  tension  that  existed  during  the 
reign  of  James  I.  The  king,  being  a  for- 
eigner, never  understood  the  English  people. 
He  asserted  the  rights  of  the  crown  and 
curtailed  the  power  of  Parliament  to  such 
an  extent  that  an  open  rupture  between  the 
Parliament  and  the  monarchy  seemed  in- 
evitable. The  constitutional  rights  of  Eng- 
land had  developed  too  far  for  them  to  be 
set  aside  at  the  caprice  of  a  sovereign.  The 
Church  of  England  was  an  ally  of  the 


106  The  Episcopalians 

crown,  and  thus  was  placed  for  the  time 
being  in  a  position  of  antagonism  to  the 
growing  liberties  of  the  people.  When  the 
contest  came  between  the  personal  will  of 
the  sovereign  and  the  rights  of  the  people, 
there  was  only  one  result,  that  of  the  victory 
of  the  people,  and  the  church  suffered  with 
the  dethroned  monarchy. 

When  James,  the  Scotch  King,  succeeded 
Elizabeth  it  was  generally  expected  that 
coming  from  a  Presbyterian  kingdom  he 
would  uphold  Calvinism  in  England.  But 
James  had  seen  too  much  of  the  dominating 
influence  of  the  kirk  and  been  told  his  duty 
too  often  by  the  vehement  preachers,  like 
Andrew  Melville,  to  make  him  wish  to 
strengthen  a  cause  which  threatened  his 
authority.  He  was  afraid  as  he  once  said 
that  "no  bishop"  meant  "no  king."  No 
sooner  had  James  entered  England  than  a 
petition  signed  by  about  eight  hundred 
clergy  called  "the  Millenary  Petition,"  was 
presented  to  him,  asking  that  the  supersti- 


The  Reformation  107 

tions  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  be  re- 
moved. It  was  arranged  that  there  should 
be  a  conference  at  Hampton  Court  in  1604, 
when  the  archbishop  and  eight  of  his 
bishops  should  meet  four  of  the  leading 
Puritan  ministers,  and  discuss  their  griev- 
ances. James,  who  was  a  pedant  and 
prided  himself  on  his  theological  leaning, 
was  present  at  the  conference  and  entered 
into  the  discussion,  and,  by  his  jocularity 
and  contempt,  insulted  the  Puritan  divines, 
and  ended  the  conference  with  the  threat: 
"  I  will  make  them  conform  or  I  will  harry 
them  out  of  the  land." 

The  conference  at  Hampton  Court  lasted 
three  days.  The  Puritan  objections  were 
fully  presented.  They  dealt  chiefly  with 
such  questions  as  the  confirmation  of  chil- 
dren, the  cross  in  baptism,  the  use  of  sur- 
plice, private  baptism,  kneeling  at  com- 
munion, the  reading  of  the  Apocrypha,  and 
subscription  to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
and  the  Articles.  Other  objections  were 


io8  The  Episcopalians 

made  to  the  phraseology  of  the  prayer- 
book.  The  conference  resulted  in  some 
minor  changes  in  the  Liturgy,  but  on  the 
whole  the  objections  did  not  seem  very 
weighty,  the  surplice  being  called  "  a  gar- 
ment worn  by  the  priests  of  Isis."  The 
bishops  were  delighted  by  the  attitude  of 
the  king,  and  were  more  ready  to  uphold 
him,  in  the  extreme  assertion  of  his  prerog- 
atives. Other  discussions  soon  arose  about 
the  forms  of  church  government.  There 
were  extremists  on  both  sides;  those  who 
asserted  that  Episcopacy  was  anti-Christian, 
and  those  who  held  that  there  could  be  no 
church  without  bishops.  The  great  Eliza- 
bethan divines  took  neither  of  these  posi- 
tions. They  held  that  Episcopacy  was 
primitive  and  lawful;  but  now  it  was  freely 
asserted  in  a  party  spirit,  which  widened 
the  breach  between  the  Church  of  England 
men  and  the  Puritans,  that  no  church  could 
exist  without  the  Episcopal  form  of  gov- 
ernment, and  that  those  who  did  not  accept 


The  Reformation  109 

this  government  could  not  be  followers  of 
Christ. 

The  Court  of  High  Commission,  given 
new  power  by  Elizabeth,  was  another  fac- 
tor in  the  growing  alienation  of  the  church. 
At  first  it  was  merely  a  temporary  board, 
but  it  soon  became  an  almost  unlimited 
power;  and,  though  there  were  forty-four 
commissioners,  questions  were  left  practi- 
cally in  the  hands  of  the  archbishops.  Al- 
most at  will  clergy  were  deprived  of  their 
benefices;  heresy  was  dealt  with,  and  non- 
conformity punished.  This  gave  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  greater  power  than 
ever  had  been  exercised  before  by  any  one 
holding  the  office.  In  many  instances 
Whitgift,  Bancroft,  Abbot,  and  Laud  used 
this  authority  despotically,  governed  almost 
solely  by  their  personal  will.  A  conflict 
soon  arose  between  the  commission  and  the 
judges ;  and  the  question  of  the  source  of  au- 
thority in  the  realm  was  raised.  It  was  said 
that  the  judges  were  only  the  king's  dele- 


no  The  Episcopalians 

gates,  and  that  they  were  to  decide  the 
causes  which  he  permitted.  The  growth  of 
despotic  power  was  seen  in  the  statement: 
"  As  it  is  atheism  and  blasphemy  to  dispute 
what  God  can  do,  so  it  is  presumption  and 
a  high  contempt  in  a  subject  to  dispute 
what  a  king  can  do,  or  to  say  that  a  king 
cannot  do  this  or  that."  When  Parliament 
was  called  upon  to  decide,  and  showed  that 
on  such  a  question  it  would  not  accept  ab- 
solute monarchy,  the  king  simply  dissolved 
Parliament,  and  thus  stirred  up  greater  op- 
position. James,  through  his  love  for 
favorites,  and  his  personal  rule,  ran  counter 
in  every  way  to  the  constitutional  forces  of 
the  English  people;  and  by  his  vanity  and 
ignorance  of  national  conditions  was  leaving 
a  legacy  to  his  son  Charles  I,  which  meant 
the  overthrow  of  the  royal  authority. 

Though  there  were  many  good  men  in 
the  church  during  the  reign  of  James,  men 
like  Dr.  Donne,  and  the  saintly  Bishop 
Andrews,  there  were  others  who  flattered 


The  Reformation  ill 

the  king  and  secured  preferment  by  bribery. 
There  were  many  pluralists,  a  bishop  some- 
times holding  a  rich  deanery.  Parliament 
protested,  but  the  arrogance  of  the  king 
and  the  servility  of  many  of  the  clergy 
made  impossible  the  peaceable  adjustment 
of  differences.  Many  men  within  the 
church  felt  as  keenly  the  usurpation  of 
power  as  the  most  extreme  non-conform- 
ists. 

One  of  the  greatest  achievements  of  the 
reign  of  King  James  was  the  setting  forth 
in  1611,  of  the  Authorized  Version  of  the 
Bible,  which  has  since  practically  become 
the  authority  wherever  the  English  speech 
is  known.  The  simple  and  stately  English 
of  the  King  James  Bible,  its  vividness  and 
epigrammatic  power,  the  homely  parables 
and  stories,  the  truth  about  God,  and  the 
Revelation  of  Christ,  have  woven  this  book 
into  the  thought  and  character  of  those  who 
use  the  English  language.  In  spite  of  the 
blundering  of  James,  and  his  unwise  poli- 


112  The  Episcopalians 

cies,  his  part  in  the  publishing  of  the 
Authorized  Version  may  be  considered  in  a 
measure  to  atone  for  his  acts  of  usurpation 
and  intolerance. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  reign  of 
Charles  I,  it  was  apparent  that  a  serious 
conflict  was  arising  between  the  throne  and 
the  people.  The  young  king  commenced 
by  deceiving  his  friends  abroad  and  at 
home.  He  made  promises  to  the  King  of 
France,  when  he  married  Henrietta,  the 
sister  of  the  French  King,  that  the  harsh 
laws  against  Romanists  should  be  repealed; 
and  he  made  no  attempt  to  carry  out  his 
promise;  he  also  accepted  the  laws  passed 
by  Parliament,  and  then  annulled  them  by 
granting  dispensations.  His  nature  was  re- 
served and  almost  shy,  though  in  the  main 
he  was  conscientious.  It  may  be  said  that 
when  he  broke  his  word  to  Parliament  it 
was  because  he  considered  his  kingly  rights 
above  Parliament;  but  all  his  promises  were 
made  with  a  reservation.  When  he  was 


The  Reformation  113 

forced  to  yield,  as  in  the  case  of  the  "  Peti- 
tion of  Rights"  which  demanded  that  no 
one  should  be  imprisoned  without  proper 
cause,  he  dissolved  Parliament,  and  it  did 
not  meet  for  eleven  years. 

The  leaders  of  the  church  sided  with 
Charles;  and  the  king  looked  upon  them 
as  his  strong  allies.  When  Parliament  re- 
fused money,  many  of  the  clergy  turned 
their  churches  into  places  of  tax-gathering 
for  the  king.  Sermons  on  the  divine  right 
of  kings  were  common;  and  Dr.  Mainwar- 
ing  declared  that  kings  were  above  angels 
and  participated  in  the  power  of  God.  The 
fear  of  Rome  again  became  strong,  for  the 
king  appointed  to  the  highest  offices  those 
who  were  suspected  of  Romanist  error. 
Montague,  who  was  condemned  by  Parlia- 
ment, was  appointed  Bishop  of  Chichester; 
and  Laud,  greatly  distrusted,  was  made 
Bishop  of  London,  and  later  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  Laud,  called  "a  lawyer  in  a 
rochet,"  was  a  man  of  great  industry,  but 


114  The  Episcopalians 

with  a  narrow  mind,  who  was  eager  to 
press  the  most  extreme  claims  of  the  church 
and  would  tolerate  no  divergence  of  opin- 
ion. Neither  he  nor  the  king  foresaw  that 
the  course  they  adopted  was  soon  to  lead  to 
open  rebellion  and  civil  war.  Many  intelli- 
gent and  patriotic  churchmen  felt  a  melan- 
choly dread  at  the  progress  of  events,  but 
they  were  powerless  to  prevent  the  catas- 
trophe. The  extreme  party  were  in  con- 
trol and  fast  bringing  disaster  upon  them- 
selves. 

The  Long  Parliament  met  in  1640,  and  it 
was  flooded  with  petitions  asking  for  the 
abolition  of  prayer-book  worship  and  the 
destruction  of  Episcopal  government. 
Representatives  of  the  people  took  matters 
into  their  own  hands.  They  resisted  the 
taxes  which  had  been  imposed  by  the  king, 
without  their  sanction;  they  sent  Strafford 
to  the  block,  and  Laud  was  sent  to  the 
Tower,  charged  with  high  treason;  the 
Courts  of  High  Commission  were  abolished. 


The  Reformation  115 

The  Westminster  Confession  was  put  forth 
in  1643,  and  the  Directory,  a  new  service 
book,  was  authorized.  Presbyterianism 
was  beginning  to  triumph.  The  prayer- 
book  was  prohibited,  in  1645,  and  many  of 
the  churches  were  mutilated.  This  was 
revolution  and  war.  Marston  Moor  and 
Naseby,  battles  of  supreme  importance  in 
the  history  of  England,  settled  the  fortunes 
of  the  king;  and  Cromwell's  growing 
power  was  the  death-knell  of  the  Royalist 
claims.  Laud  was  executed  in  1645;  and 
four  years  later  Charles  stood  upon  the 
scaffold. 

The  Commonwealth  with  Cromwell  as 
Protector,  lasted  until  his  death  in  1658; 
and  after  an  interval  of  two  years  Charles 
II  ascended  the  throne,  and  the  period  of 
the  Restoration  began.  During  the  Com- 
monwealth the  clergy  of  the  Church  of 
England  suffered  greatly.  Though  in  the 
main  Cromwell  was  tolerant,  the  same  pas- 
sion for  uniformity  persisted,  and  those 


1 16  The  Episcopalians 

who  could  not  accept  the  changed  order 
were  driven  into  exile.  The  prayer-book 
service,  however,  continued  to  be  used  in 
secret  and  men  were  occasionally  ordained. 
But  the  Commonwealth  could  not  last. 
The  constitutional  victory  had  been  won, 
and  permanent  achievements  of  political 
liberty  had  been  gained.  The  English  peo- 
ple, however,  were  never  really  Presbyte- 
rians at  heart,  and  they  longed  for  the  church 
again,  purified  through  the  flames  of  civil 
war.  Cromwell's  aim  of  building  up  a 
kingdom  by  the  sword  was  doomed  to  fail- 
ure. The  difficulties  and  mistakes  of  the 
Commonwealth  were  so  great  that  a  reac- 
tionary movement  set  in,  and  Puritanism  as 
a  militant  force  fell;  but  Puritanism  as  an 
influence,  including  under  this  name  the 
many  forces  in  English  life  and  thought 
making  for  liberty,  righteousness,  and  per- 
sonal religion,  did  not  die,  with  the  failure 
of  the  Puritan  state;  it  continued  to  bear 
fruit  in  English  government  and  in  the 


The  Reformation  117 

church,  which  became  stronger,  more  com- 
prehensive, and  more  spiritual,  because  of 
the  ideals  wrought  into  its  life,  derived  from 
the  very  forces  which  produced  the  true 
spirit  of  Puritanism. 


CHAPTER  V 

EARLY  DAYS  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

THE  discoveries  in  North  America  made 
by  the  Cabots  in  1497  opened  the  way  for 
English  colonies.  With  the  coming  of  the 
English  immigrants  there  were  brought 
into  the  new  land  the  political  and  religious 
institutions  in  which  the  people  had  been 
reared.  It  was  only  a  question  of  time 
when  the  controversies  that  agitated  the 
mother  country  were  to  begin  afresh  in  the 
new  world;  and  through  these,  with  the 
added  experience  of  new  conditions,  were 
to  be  fought  out  the  problems  of  American 
social  and  religious  progress.  The  Separa- 
tist, the  Baptist,  the  Roman  Catholic,  the 
Presbyterian,  and  the  English  Churchman 
met  in  the  colonies  that  were  founded,  and 
with  varying  fortunes,  each  made  a  place 
118 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     119 

for  itself,  transplanting  and  modifying  the 
ideas  that  they  brought  with  them,  and 
erecting  out  of  the  confusion  of  pioneer 
life  the  foundations  of  noble  institutions 
forming  part  of  American  Christianity. 

The  first  services  of  the  English  Church 
held  on  American  soil  of  which  we  have  a 
record  were  conducted  by  the  chaplains  of 
ships  engaged  in  exploration.  There  was 
a  prayer-book  service  held  on  the  shores  of 
Hudson  Bay  in  1578,  and  on  the  coast  of 
California  by  Francis  Fletcher,  the  chaplain 
of  Sir  Francis  Drake  in  1579.  This  latter 
event  has  been  commemorated  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  cross,  fifty-seven  feet  high,  in 
Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco.  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert  received  the  first  colo- 
nial charter  from  Elizabeth  in  1 578,  and  it  was 
his  intention  to  plant  the  English  Church  in 
his  colony,  the  instrument  directing  that  the 
settlement  "  be,  as  near  as  conveniently 
may,  agreeable  to  the  laws  and  policy 
of  England,  and  also  that  they  be  not 


12O  The  Episcopalians 

against  the  true  Christian  faith  and  religion 
now  professed  in  the  Church  of  England." 
But  unfortunately  this  expedition  came  to 
naught,  as  did  those  of  his  successor,  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh.  In  the  attempt  to  found  a 
colony  on  the  island  of  Roanoke,  in  1587, 
of  which  John  White  was  governor,  two 
episodes  of  interest  occurred:  the  first 
Indian  convert  Manateo  was  baptized  Au- 
gust 13,  1587,  and  a  little  later  was  also 
baptized  Virginia  Dare,  the  first  child  of 
English  parents  born  in  America. 

Other  expeditions  that  did  not  result  in 
permanent  settlements  but  which  brought 
the  Church  of  England  services  to  the  new 
country,  were  those  of  Martin  Pring,  acting 
under  Raleigh,  with  the  Speedwell  and  the 
Discoverer,  who  landed  at  Plymouth,  in 
Massachusetts  Bay,  seventeen  years  before 
the  Pilgrims,  and  during  the  six  weeks  that 
he  remained  used  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer;  and  of  Sir  Fernando  Gorges,  which 
landed  on  the  shores  of  the  Sagadahoc,  or 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     121 

Kennebec  River  in  1607,  and  gave  the  op- 
portunity to  Sir  Richard  Seymour,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England,  to  preach 
and  offer  prayers. 

The  first  colony  in  which  the  church  was 
made  a  permanent  institution  was  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  first  charter  of  Virginia  given 
by  James  I  declared  that  provision  should 
be  made  "that  the  Word  and  service  of 
God  be  preached,  planted,  and  used,  not 
only  in  the  said  colonies,  but  also,  as  much 
as  might  be,  among  the  savages  bordering 
among  them,  according  to  the  rites  and 
doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England."  Vir- 
ginia was  reached  in  1607;  and  the  Rev. 
Robert  Hunt,  "an  honest,  religious  and 
courageous  divine,"  became  the  first  colo- 
nial clergyman.  "Wee  did  hang  an  awn- 
ing (which  is  an  old  saile),"  wrote  Captain 
John  Smith,  "to  three  or  four  trees  to 
shaden  us  from  the  sunne,  our  walles  were 
rales  of  wood,  our  seats  unhewed  trees, 
till  we  cut  plankes;  our  pulpit  a  bar  of 


122  The  Episcopalians 

wood  nailed  to  two  neighboring  trees. 
This  was  our  churche  till  wee  built  a 
homely  thing  like  a  barne."  From  these 
small  beginnings,  as  the  colony  grew, 
churches  began  to  be  erected  as  they  were 
needed.  When  the  charter  was  enlarged 
there  was  much  enthusiasm  in  England 
over  the  idea  of  strengthening  the  church 
in  Virginia.  Master  Burke  was  sent  over; 
and  soon  Alexander  Whitaker,  known  as 
the  "Apostle  to  the  Indians,"  came  as  a 
faithful  missionary,  and  was  the  clergyman 
who  converted  Pocahontas  and  baptized 
her.  Whitaker's  "  Good  Newes  from  Vir- 
ginia "  set  forth  the  attractions  of  the  colony 
and  was  the  means  of  inducing  many  to 
try  their  fortunes  in  the  new  world. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  first 
representative  body  of  legislators  that  ever 
met  in  America  was  the  House  of  Burgesses 
of  Virginia,  and  they  held  their  meeting  in 
the  chancel  of  the  church  at  Jamestown, 
July  30,  1619.  They  considered  ecclesi- 


Early  Days  of  the  Church      1 23 

astical  matters,  and  established  the  Church 
of  England  in  the  colony;  the  clergy  were 
provided  with  a  glebe  of  a  hundred  acres 
each;  and  later  the  salary  of  a  clergyman 
was  placed  at  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of 
tobacco  and  sixteen  barrels  of  corn.  At 
this  time  there  were  five  clergymen.  As 
the  colony  extended  the  council  applied  to 
the  Bishop  of  London  for  new  ministers, 
and  these  were  sent  from  time  to  time. 
From  this  early  application  to  the  Bishop  of 
London  his  jurisdiction  in  the  colony  be- 
came gradually  recognized;  and  doubtless 
because  of  the  position  of  his  see  in  the 
heart  of  England  and  a  traditional  interest 
in  the  colonies  of  America  he  became  the 
authority  to  which  the  colonial  churchmen 
turned  for  advice  and  guidance. 

The  relations  between  the  colonists  and 
the  Indians  were  at  first  cordial;  missions 
were  founded  and  efforts  were  made 
for  their  education,  but  after  the  unex- 
pected massacre  of  1622  hatred  sprang 


124  The  Episcopalians 

up  and  armed  force  was  constantly  used. 
When  a  few  Puritans  found  their  way  into 
Virginia  they  were  treated  with  respect 
until  there  was  a  change  in  the  govern- 
ment, the  charter  being  annulled  in  1624 
and  the  king  assuming  personal  control. 
Then  laws  were  adopted  expelling  the 
Puritans.  When  in  1642  a  number  of 
persons  in  Virginia  appealed  to  the  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  "to  send  ministers 
into  that  region  "  and  three  Congregational 
ministers  were  actually  sent,  they  were 
forbidden  to  officiate.  Thus  were  the  old 
world  controversies  introduced  into  the 
new,  Sir  William  Berkeley  being  sent  over 
by  Charles  I  to  keep  out  religious  innova- 
tions from  the  colony.  During  the  Com- 
monwealth, the  services  in  the  churches 
for  the  most  part  were  given  up,  except 
for  one  year  when  they  were  permitted, 
"  provided  that  those  parts  which  relate  to 
the  kingship  and  government  be  not  used 
publicly."  The  churches  suffered  more  by 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     125 

neglect  than  by  actual  persecution,  so  that 
at  the  Restoration,  though  there  were  fifty 
parishes  there  were  not  more  than  ten 
ministers  in  the  colony.  Later,  however, 
the  church  became  much  stronger  and 
during  the  eighteenth  century  rendered 
good  service  to  the  colony. 

Before  Lord  Baltimore  secured  in  1623  his 
charter  for  Maryland,  there  were  English 
churchmen  living  on  the  Isle  of  Kent  and 
among  them  religious  services  had  been 
held.  When  the  town  of  St.  Mary's  was 
founded  a  chapel  was  erected  and  services 
according  to  the  Church  of  England  were 
performed.  Lord  Baltimore  was  a  Roman 
Catholic;  and  in  order  to  gain  tolerance  for 
his  coreligionists  he  adopted  a  policy  which 
would  permit  them  to  enjoy  the  freedom 
of  their  consciences.  In  order  to  secure 
this  privilege  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
grant  religious  freedom  to  all.  "  I  will  not 
by  myself  or  any  other  directly  or  in- 
directly," ran  the  governor's  oath  which 


126  The  Episcopalians 

Lord  Baltimore  required,  "trouble,  molest, 
or  discountenance  any  person  professing  to 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  for  or  in  respect  of 
religion."  This  policy  was  put  into  formal 
enactment  by  the  Assembly  of  Maryland 
when  it  passed  in  1649  the  "Act  of  Re- 
ligious Freedom," — one  of  the  earliest 
instances  in  the  world  of  a  state  accepting 
religious  toleration.  And  it  is  strange 
above  all  things  that  this  method  of  dealing 
with  religious  differences  should  have  been 
inspired  by  a  Roman  Catholic,  to  whom 
uniformity  was  always  a  watchword,  and 
heresy  a  detestable  crime.  Protestants 
were  in  the  majority  in  the  colony;  and 
without  taking  away  honor  from  Lord 
Baltimore  for  what  he  did,  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  unless  he  had  adopted  this 
course  of  toleration  Roman  Catholics  might 
not  have  been  permitted  to  remain  there. 

The  Church  of  England  does  not  seem  to 
have  increased  very  rapidly  in  Maryland  at 
the  beginning.  There  were  only  three 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     127 

clergymen  in  the  colony  in  1676.  There 
were  no  legal  means  provided  for  their 
support,  but  later  a  number  came  over,  and 
not  altogether  of  the  best  quality,  and  they 
assisted  in  what  has  been  called  the 
"  Protestant  Revolution."  This  was  caused 
more  by  political  conditions  in  England 
than  by  those  in  the  colony.  James  II, 
a  Roman  Catholic,  had  fled  from  his  king- 
dom, and  William  aided  in  the  ascendancy 
of  the  Protestants.  The  immediate  outcome 
of  this  revolution  in  Maryland  was  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Church  of  England. 
Parishes  were  laid  out;  vestries  appointed; 
and  a  tax  of  forty  pounds  of  tobacco  upon 
each  poll  was  levied  to  support  the  clergy 
and  the  churches.  When  Sir  Francis 
Nicholson  became  governor  in  1694,  being 
an  ardent  churchman  and  always  generously 
upholding  the  cause  of  his  church,  he  vigor- 
ously proceeded  to  help  in  the  work  of 
erecting  church  edifices  and  settling  min- 
isters in  the  parishes. 


128  The  Episcopalians 

One  of  the  most  important  events  for  the 
growth  of  the  church  in  Maryland  was  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Thomas  Bray  as  com- 
missary to  the  province.  Dr.  Bray  was  a 
man  of  great  devotion  and  activity,  with  a 
constructive  mind,  who  formed  important 
plans  for  the  sustaining  and  extension  of 
the  church.  Before  he  came  to  Maryland 
he  sent  over  libraries  of  valuable  books  to 
the  parishes  and  inspired  suitable  men  to 
become  missionaries.  He  started  move- 
ments in  England  that  resulted  in  the 
founding  of  two  celebrated  and  beneficent 
institutions:  The  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  and  the  Society  for 
Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts. 
This  later  society,  founded  in  1701,  played 
a  part  of  supreme  importance  in  the  plant- 
ing of  the  church  in  America.  Dr.  Bray  did 
not  remain  long  in  Maryland,  but  during  his 
short  stay  he  succeeded  in  encouraging  the 
missionaries  who  were  on  the  ground,  in 
rebuking  those  who  were  unworthy,  and 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     129 

in  forming  plans  for  the  enlargement  of 
the  work  in  America.  When  he  returned 
to  England  he  made  it  evident  to  all  that  the 
best  clergymen  were  needed  in  the  Ameri- 
can missions  and  men  who  for  one  rea- 
son or  another  had  failed  at  home  were 
totally  unfit  for  the  pioneer  work  of  the 
colonies.  Would  that  his  advice  had 
always  been  followed! 

The  starting  of  the  church  in  New 
England  was  under  entirely  different  cir- 
cumstances from  those  either  in  Virginia  or 
Maryland.  The  Pilgrims  landed  at  Ply- 
mouth in  1620;  and,  having  come  out  from 
the  Church  of  England  as  Separatists,  they 
were  hostile  to  it.  The  Puritans  who 
arrived  at  Salem,  though  bidding  an 
affectionate  farewell  to  "our  dear  mother, 
the  Church  of  England,"  soon  discarded 
her  tenets  and  set  up  a  Puritan  common- 
wealth. Churchmen  were  not  welcome. 
Wherever  they  appeared  and  tried  to  enjoy 
their  privileges  of  worship,  they  were 


130  The  Episcopalians 

treated  as  aliens  and  either  exiled  or 
suppressed.  In  the  Plymouth  colony  Rev. 
John  Lyford,  a  clergyman  of  the  church 
attempted,  1624,  to  celebrate  "the  sacra- 
ments by  his  Episcopal  calling,"  but  he  was 
soon  banished.  Thomas  Morton,  also  a 
churchman,  formed  a  colony  at  Wollaston. 
He  used  the  prayer-book  service,  but  also  set 
up  a  May-pole  and  lived  rather  a  free  life. 
His  house  was  burned  and  he  was  sent  away 
to  England.  The  Brown  brothers  tried  to 
hold  their  services  in  Salem,  but  they  were 
immediately  exiled.  There  were  other  cases 
of  the  same  kind.  William  Blaxton,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  church  who  wore  his  "  Canon- 
icall  Coat "  in  the  wilderness  was  the  first 
resident  of  Boston,  but  he  found  that 
he  must  seek  a  freer  air  elsewhere 
and  went  to  Rhode  Island.  Individual 
churchmen  scattered  through  the  colony 
sometimes  held  services  privately  in  their 
houses.  There  was  no  public  ministra- 
tion until  1686,  when  Rev.  Robert  Ratcliffe 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     131 

landed  in  Boston,  and  acting  under  the 
charter  which  Governor  Andros  received, 
conducted  services  in  the  town  house. 

The  Puritan  commonwealth  of  Mas- 
sachusetts gave  the  freedom  of  citizenship 
only  to  members  of  its  churches.  All 
others  were  either  treated  with  indifference 
or  actively  persecuted.  Charles  II  had  sent 
a  command  to  the  General  Court  that  "  we 
require  you  that  freedom  and  liberty  be 
duly  admitted  and  allowed;  so  that  such  as 
desire  to  use  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
and  perform  their  devotions  after  the  manner 
established  here,  be  not  denied  the  exercise 
thereof."  The  only  answer  to  this  was 
that  "the  use  of  the  Common  Prayer- 
book  would  disturb  their  present  peace  and 
present  enjoyments." 

Encountering  much  opposition,  Mr.  Rat- 
cliffe  held  further  services  in  the  South 
Meeting-house,  especially  on  Good  Friday 
and  Easter  Day,  1687.  Money,  however, 
was  soon  collected  for  the  erection  of  a 


132  The  Episcopalians 

church,  and  King's  Chapel  was  begun  in 
1688.  After  Mr.  Ratcliffe  left,  Rev.  Samuel 
Myles  took  charge  and  later  had  as  his  as- 
sistant the  Rev.  Christopher  Bridge.  Thus 
regular  services  of  the  Church  of  England 
were  instituted  in  Massachusetts;  and  from 
King's  Chapel  as  a  centre  new  missions 
were  begun.  Mr.  Bridge  preached  in 
Braintree  and  succeeded  in  organizing  there 
a  parish  with  wardens  and  vestry  in  1704. 
The  church  in  Newburyport  was  added  in 
1711;  and  St.  Michael's,  Marblehead,  in  1714. 
These  additional  churches  were  made  pos- 
sible by  the  Society  for  Propagating  the 
Gospel,  which  sent  out,  as  its  paid  mission- 
aries, clergymen  where  the  work  seemed 
encouraging.  The  Puritan  divines  preached 
against  the  formation  of  these  churches,  In- 
crease Mather  publishing  a  pamphlet  on 
"The  Unlawfulness  of  Common  Prayer 
Worship."  In  Newburyport  churchmen 
were  imprisoned  and  had  their  goods  taken 
from  them  because  they  refused  to  pay  for 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     133 

the  support  of  the  Congregational  minister, 
preferring  to  pay  for  their  own  clergymen. 
But  in  spite  of  intolerance,  the  church 
became  firmly  rooted  and  prepared  the 
way  for  the  development  which  came 
later. 

Through  the  zeal  of  Sir  Francis  Nicholson 
services  were  held  in  Newport  in  1698;  and 
in  1702  Trinity  Church  was  erected,  the 
Rev.  James  Honeyman  becoming  its  first 
minister  and  serving  for  almost  fifty  years. 
Families  of  wealth  and  social  position  were 
members  of  this  church  in  Newport.  In  a 
few  years,  1707,  a  second  church  was  added 
in  Rhode  Island,  that  of  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Kingston,  known  as  the  Narragansett 
Church.  The  original  building  is  still  stand- 
ing and  is  one  of  the  oldest  church  build- 
ings in  New  England.  A  firm  foothold 
was  not  secured  by  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  New  Hampshire  until  1732  when  efforts 
where  made  to  build  St.  John's  Church, 
Portsmouth,  and  later  another  parish  was 


134  The  Episcopalians 

established  at  Claremont  where  one  share 
of  glebe  land  was  given  to  the  church. 

Shortly  after  the  founding  of  the  Society 
for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  the  special  aim 
of  which  was  to  extend  the  church  in  the 
colonies,  a  special  agent,  the  Rev.  George 
Keith,  was  sent  in  1702  to  travel  through  the 
country  and  find  out  the  religious  conditions 
and  the  need.  Keith  was  accompanied  by 
Rev.  John  Talbot,  and  they  made  journeys 
through  New  England,  New  York,  New  Jer- 
sey, Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina.  Keith's  journal  is  full  of 
interesting  information:  he  preached  in 
many  places,  baptized  persons,  and  encour- 
aged the  Episcopalians  to  have  settled 
missionaries.  "  In  all  places  where  we 
travelled  and  preached,"  he  wrote,  "we 
found  people  well  affected  to  the  doctrine 
which  we  preached  among  them,  and  they 
did  generally  join  with  us  decently  in  the 
Liturgy  and  Public  Prayers,  and  administra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Sacraments,  after  the 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     135 

usage  of  the  Church  of  England." 
Through  the  labors  of  Keith  and  Tal- 
bot  many  parishes  eventually  were  founded. 
Their  visit  to  New  London  was  almost 
the  earliest  attempt  to  introduce  the 
church  in  Connecticut,  though  there  was 
already  a  group  of  churchmen  in  Strat- 
ford, and  a  petition  had  been  sent  to  the 
General  Assembly  in  1665  asking  that  chil- 
dren be  permitted  to  be  baptized  and  com- 
plaining of  certain  grievances.  Though  the 
parish  in  Stratford  was  organized  in  1707, 
the  real  growth  of  the  church  in  Connecti- 
cut dates  from  the  conversion  of  Dr. 
Timothy  Cutler  and  his  friends  in  1722  from 
Congregationalism  to  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Timothy  Cutler,  a  learned  man  of  admi- 
rable character,  when  president  of  Yale  Col- 
lege, from  motives  of  conscience  and  be- 
cause of  extensive  reading,  felt  some  doubt 
of  the  validity  of  his  ordination  as  a  Con- 
gregational minister,  and  determined  to  seek 
orders  in  the  Church  of  England.  He  was 


136  The  Episcopalians 

not  alone  in  this  feeling.  A  group  of  min- 
isters in  the  neighborhood  had  discussed 
with  him  the  questions  involved  in  such  a 
decision.  They  decided  to  act;  and  in  1722 
startled  New  England  by  sending  a  signed 
communication  to  the  trustees  of  the  college 
informing  them  "that  some  of  us  doubt 
the  validity,  and  the  rest  of  us  are  more 
fully  persuaded  of  the  invalidity,  of  Pres- 
byterian ordination  in  opposition  to  Episco- 
pal." Among  those  associated  with  Cutler 
in  this  change  of  relations  were  Samuel 
Johnson  and  Daniel  Brown.  A  prayer-book 
which  Johnson  received  as  a  youth  greatly 
attracted  him;  and  while  in  charge  of  his 
church  in  West  Haven  he  frequently  COITN 
mitted  to  memory  prayers  and  collects  taken 
from  the  book  and  used  them  in  his  Con- 
gregational services.  The  three  friends  set 
sail  for  England  where  they  were  ordained 
by  the  Bishop  of  Norwich  in  1723.  Brown 
died  of  the  smallpox  a  short  time  after 
his  ordination;  the  others  returned  home. 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     137 

Cutler  became  the  first  minister  of  Christ 
Church,  Boston,  where  he  had  a  conspicu- 
ous and  useful  ministry.  Johnson  went  to 
Stratford  where  he  completed  the  church 
building;  and  by  his  enthusiasm,  kindliness 
and  wisdom  helped  to  spread  the  church  in 
other  parts  of  Connecticut  and  finally  be- 
came the  first  president  of  King's  College 
(now  Columbia)  in  New  York. 

When  New  York  was  wrested  from  the 
Dutch  by  the  English  in  1663  the  way  was 
opened  for  the  introduction  of  the  church. 
Though  Peter  Stuyvesant  was  intolerant  to 
Lutherans,  Baptists  and  Quakers,  a  service 
according  to  the  English  usage  was  permit- 
ted in  the  Dutch  Church  in  the  fort  at  New 
Amsterdam.  After  the  capture  of  New 
York  the  different  chaplains  of  the  English 
garrison  were  allowed  to  conduct  services. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  Governor 
Fletcher  was  appointed  that  the  church  took 
root.  He  was  an  ardent  churchman  and 
succeeded  for  a  short  time  in  having  the 


138  The  Episcopalians 

church  practically  established  and  its  clergy- 
man supported  out  of  the  public  funds. 
This  temporary  dominance  of  the  church 
resulted  in  the  founding  of  Trinity  Church 
in  1697,  which  was  built  upon  the  same 
site  that  it  now  occupies.  Rev.  William 
Vesey  called  to  be  "Minister  of  the  City  of 
New  York  "  was  the  first  rector,  though  the 
Bishop  of  London  was  nominal  rector. 
For  the  building  of  the  church  the  citizens 
were  taxed,  though  private  subscriptions 
were  also  received.  Unused  funds  collected 
for  freeing  slaves  brought  from  Algeria 
were  given  for  this  purpose.  In  1705,  the 
corporation  was  enriched  by  the  gift  of  the 
Queen's  Farm,  a  valuable  tract  of  land  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  church,  which 
since  those  early  days  has  become  the  prin- 
cipal source  of  the  great  wealth  of  Trinity 
Church. 

At  the  request  of  Mr.  Vesey,  a  man  vigi- 
lant for  the  growth  of  the  church,  six  mis- 
sionaries were  sent  out  to  New  York  by  the 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     139 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel. 
They  soon  organized  churches  in  West- 
chester,  Jamaica,  Oyster  Bay,  Staten  Island 
and  Rye.  At  Albany  a  chaplain  was  ap- 
pointed in  1709.  He  proved  to  be  Rev. 
Thomas  Barclay;  and  in  1716  he  finished 
St.  Peter's  Church.  Barclay  particularly  felt 
his  duty  to  the  Indians,  whom  he  instructed 
and  to  whom  he  preached  in  Schenectady 
and  elsewhere. 

In  New  Jersey  services  were  first  held  in 
a  primitive  way  in  a  dilapidated  court-house 
at  Perth  Amboy,  but  the  earliest  building 
erected  was  that  of  St.  Mary's  Church, 
Burlington,  which  was  occupied  in  1704. 
John  Talbot,  who  accompanied  Keith  on  his 
missionary  journeys,  became  the  minister. 
He  soon  saw  the  necessity  for  a  fuller  or- 
ganization of  the  church  in  the  colonies  if 
progress  was  to  be  made,  and  he  was  anx- 
ious that  a  bishop  be  appointed.  He  went 
to  England  bearing  a  petition  that  the  queen 
send  a  suffragan  bishop,  but  this  was  not 


140  The  Episcopalians 

granted.  So  eager  was  Talbot  to  have  a 
bishop  that  the  report  spread  that  he  him- 
self had  been  consecrated  by  the  non-jurors 
when  on  a  visit  to  England.  The  evidence 
for  his  consecration  is  not  strong;  and  it  is 
not  known  that  he  ever  exercised  the  duties 
of  the  office,  though  he  recognized  with  the 
other  colonial  churchmen  the  great  impor- 
tance of  perfecting  the  Episcopal  system. 

In  the  charter  granted  to  William  Penn 
for  his  colony  in  Pennsylvania  there  was  a 
clause  which  read  that  "on  the  petition  of 
twenty  persons  a  preacher  or  preachers 
might  be  sent  out  for  their  instruction  by 
the  Bishop  of  London,  and  should  be  per- 
mitted to  reside  in  the  province  without 
any  denial  or  molestation  whatever." 
Penn  encouraged  religious  tolerance,  though 
the  Quakers  first  predominated  in  numbers, 
and  there  was  a  short-lived  opposition  to 
the  introduction  of  the  Church.  The  first 
building  was  erected  in  1695,  and  this  be- 
came the  foundation  of  Christ  Church, 


Early  Days  of  the  Church     141 

Philadelphia.  "  Parson  Evans,"  a  mission- 
ary of  the  venerable  society  helped  to 
establish  the  church  firmly  not  only  in 
Philadelphia  but  in  Chester,  Concord, 
Montgomery,  Oxford  and  in  other  places. 

The  Carolinas  had  a  ready  made  constitu- 
tion given  to  them  by  John  Locke  the 
philosopher;  many  of  its  provisions  were 
visionary  but  it  contained  a  clause  which 
practically  established  the  church.  No 
efforts  were  made  at  first  to  carry  out  this 
injunction,  because  in  both  the  northern 
colony,  the  Albemarle,  and  the  southern 
colony,  the  Ashley  River  colony,  there  were 
many  varieties  of  religious  belief  repre- 
sented among  the  inhabitants.  There  were 
dissenters  who  had  come  over  from 
Virginia,  Dutch  who  had  left  New  York, 
Huguenots  who  had  emigrated  from 
France,  and  Scotch-Irish  who  found  their 
way  to  the  colony.  When  the  church 
gained  an  entrance  into  Charleston  through 
the  efforts  of  a  Christian  family  named 


142  The  Episcopalians 

Jackson,  who  out  of  their  private  means 
gave  a  site  for  a  church  building,  the 
provision  of  the  original  charter  was  re- 
membered and  the  assembly  passed  an  act 
in  1698  for  the  support  of  a  minister  of  the 
Church  of  England,  also  voting  him  "a 
negro  man  and  woman  and  four  cows  and 
calves."  The  first  church  in  South  Carolina 
was  St.  Philip  in  Charleston.  After  the  be- 
ginning excellent  ministers  were  sent  out  by 
the  society  in  England  and  the  Goose  Creek 
parish  was  established  which  ministered  to 
the  Indians  and  negroes  as  well  as  the  whites. 
In  North  Carolina  no  efforts  were  made 
to  introduce  the  church  until  the  society 
acted  in  1704  and  commissioned  the  Rev. 
John  Blair  as  missionary.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Gordon  and  Adams  who  in  spite 
of  unfavorable  conditions  did  much  good 
work.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  separation  of 
the  two  colonies  in  1729  into  North  and 
South  Carolina,  thirty-eight  missionaries 
had  been  at  work  in  this  field. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 

IN  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury the  church  had  taken  root  in  all  the 
colonies  with  the  exception  of  Georgia, 
where  it  did  not  enter  until  about  1732. 
When  the  first  body  of  emigrants  arrived 
with  Oglethorpe,  they  were  accompanied 
by  the  Rev.  Henry  Herbert.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Quincy;  then  John  Wesley 
was  appointed  by  the  society  in  1736,  and 
he  did  a  noble  work  for  Christianity  in 
Georgia  in  the  short  time  that  he  stayed. 
Though  he  adopted  novel  methods  and  felt 
a  desire  for  greater  freedom  and  was  the 
founder  of  the  Methodist  Church,  he  was 
always  until  the  end  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England. 

The    founding    of    the    Church    in    the 


144  The  Episcopalians 

different  centres  of  importance  was  the 
beginning  of  a  quiet  and  steady  growth. 
Other  towns  were  soon  reached  and  these 
in  turn  became  missionary  centres.  In  the 
South  the  church  was  established  by  law, 
but  on  the  whole  this  was  a  misfortune  be- 
cause it  constantly  brought  the  clergy  into 
conflict  with  the  ruling  powers  and  inter- 
fered with  their  spiritual  work.  In  the 
Middle  and  Northern  colonies  the  church 
steadily  won  its  way  in  spite  of  opposition, 
and  through  the  personal  influence  of  in- 
dividual clergymen,  it  won  a  place  for  it- 
self. Sometimes  unnecessary  controversies 
were  stirred  up  and  old  prejudices  against 
the  church  revived. 

During  the  colonial  period  up  to  the 
Revolution  the  church  was  a  conservative 
power  for  righteousness.  The  orderly 
services  with  the  celebration  of  the  sacra- 
ments and  the  recurrent  teachings  of  the 
church  year  developed  a  refined  and  loyal 
type  of  Christianity.  The  children  were 


The  Colonial  Period          145 

reared  to  love  and  respect  its  teachings,  and 
in  many  families  of  influence  the  church 
was  regarded  with  the  same  reverence  as 
the  home.  In  the  agricultural  districts  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  the  parish  church 
was  the  social  and  religious  centre  of  the 
community,  and  it  became  a  sacred  place 
through  its  constant  ministry  in  the  differ- 
ent crises  of  life.  The  cultured  and  the  ig- 
norant met  side  by  side  within  its  walls 
and  learned  the  simple  virtues  of  a  Chris- 
tian's duty.  In  the  North  where  the  popu- 
lation lived  more  in  large  towns  and  cities 
the  churches  became  the  centre  of  the  more 
educated  and  wealthier  classes,  though  its 
mission  was  to  all  who  responded  to  its 
teachings.  King's  Chapel,  Boston,  and 
Christ  Church  were  stately  edifices,  often 
filled  with  many  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  the  town;  and  the  colonial  governors 
often  worshipped  there.  Trinity  Church, 
Newport,  and  St.  Michael's,  Bristol,  and  the 
old  Narragansett  Church  exerted  a  wide  in- 


146  The  Episcopalians 

fluence  among  the  leading  people  of  Rhode 
Island,  where  families  of  intelligence  and 
influence  were  devoted  to  the  church. 
Trinity  Church  and  St.  Paul's,  New  York, 
have  a  rich  and  honored  colonial  history, 
and  trained  many  of  the  men  famous  in  the 
annals  of  the  state.  In  Philadelphia,  Christ 
Church  and  St.  Peter's  occupied  a  similar 
position. 

The  church  through  its  services  and 
creeds  and  sermons  set  forth  an  ideal  of 
good  citizenship,  of  duty  to  the  community 
and  the  home,  of  dignified  and  restrained 
life  and  devotion  to  the  essential  teachings 
of  Christianity.  The  movements  of  theo- 
logical thought  in  England  were  reflected 
in  the  colonies;  and  through  the  libraries  of 
books  that  were  accumulated  here  and 
there  in  the  different  parishes  these  ideas 
were  spread  abroad.  The  church  was  a 
steadying  influence  through  the  excitement 
of  the  "Great  Awakening,"  when  George 
Whitefield  went  up  and  down  the  land 


The  Colonial  Period          147 

preaching  his  fiery  discourses,  and  people 
were  led  to  see  that  Christian  conversion 
was  not  only  a  swift  emotional  experience 
but  a  quiet  growth  of  faith  in  which  the 
emotions  were  controlled  by  the  reason; 
that  daily  acts  of  kindness  and  unselfish- 
ness and  duty  to  the  home  and  to  one's 
friends  were  more  important  than  the  ex- 
citement of  overwrought  enthusiasm.  Be- 
cause of  this  lack  of  sympathy  with  the 
teachings  of  Whitefield,  churchmen  were 
often  called  "  unconverted  men,"  and 
"dumb  dogs  that  will  not  bark";  but  the 
spiritual  influence  of  the  church  was  ap- 
parent in  the  lives  of  consecrated  laymen 
and  faithful  ministers. 

Until  after  the  Revolution  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  church  was  imperfect.  It  was 
an  Episcopal  Church,  but  without  a  bishop. 
The  Bishop  of  London,  across  the  sea,  had 
jurisdiction  in  America,  but  he  never  vis- 
ited his  distant  diocese.  He  was  repre- 
sented by  commissaries,  clergymen  ap- 


148  The  Episcopalians 

pointed  to  have  oversight  in  certain 
districts.  They  visited  missions  and  con- 
sulted with  parishes,  but  were  able  to  exer- 
cise very  little  authority.  The  absence  of  a 
bishop  was  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  growth 
of  the  church.  Young  men  seeking  the 
ministry  were  compelled  to  take  the  dan- 
gerous and  expensive  journey  across  the 
ocean  to  be  ordained  in  England.  Many  of 
them  died  of  smallpox  or  were  lost  at  sea. 
The  rite  of  confirmation  could  not  be  ad- 
ministered; and  as  this  public  confession 
of  the  baptized  person  was  a  ratification  of 
baptism  and  a  necessary  element  in  the  edu- 
cational scheme  of  the  church,  the  ina- 
bility to  receive  it  at  the  hands  of  a  bishop, 
was  in  every  way  unfortunate.  Neither 
could  churches  be  consecrated.  But  one  of 
the  most  serious  results  of  not  having  a 
bishop  was  the  lack  of  discipline.  Un- 
worthy ministers  sometimes  found  their 
way  into  the  colonies:  men  whose  reputa- 
tions were  damaged  at  home  often  thought 


The  Colonial  Period          149 

they  would  try  a  new  field.  Virginia  and 
Maryland  suffered  most  from  this  evil.  To 
remove  such  men  from  their  parishes  con- 
sumed much  time,  as  lengthy  correspond- 
ence with  the  authorities  in  England  was 
necessary  before  matters  could  be  set  right. 
A  bishop  was  also  needed  to  plan  for  an 
extension  of  the  work  and  to  lay  down 
some  principle  of  action  for  the  clergy 
when  they  became  involved  in  controversy 
with  either  the  government  or  other  re- 
ligious bodies.  It  is  remarkable  that  the 
church  maintained  itself  so  well  and  exer- 
cised such  a  wholesome  influence  without 
the  presence  and  aid  of  a  bishop,  an  officer 
most  necessary  to  the  normal  life  of  an 
Episcopal  Church. 

This  need  of  an  Episcopate  in  the  colo- 
nies was  early  recognized  both  by  the  colo- 
nial churchmen  themselves  and  by  their 
friends  in  England.  Letters  were  constantly 
being  sent  by  individuals  and  by  conven- 
tions asking  that  a  bishop  might  be  conse- 


150  The  Episcopalians 

crated  for  America.  Archbishop  Laud  as 
far  back  as  1638  had  a  plan  of  sending  a 
bishop  to  New  England.  His  object  doubt- 
less was  to  exercise  control  over  the  Puri- 
tans; and  they  never  could  forget  that  this 
was  his  object.  When  the  times  had  com- 
pletely changed  they  still  always  associated 
the  idea  of  having  a  bishop  among  them 
with  the  theories  and  discipline  of  Laud. 
In  1709  the  Venerable  Society  formulated  a 
plan  for  a  colonial  bishop  and  submitted  it 
to  Queen  Anne;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for 
her  death  success  might  have  attended  these 
efforts.  Archbishop  Tennison  in  1715  left  a 
thousand  pounds  "towards  the  settlement 
of  two  bishops,  one  for  the  continent  and 
the  other  for  the  isles  of  America."  Bishop 
Butler,  the  author  of  the  "Analogy,"  worked 
out  an  elaborate  plan  for  sending  a  simple 
Apostolic  bishop  without  revenues  drawn 
from  taxation,  but  this  like  all  other  schemes 
came  to  naught. 
In  the  meantime,  memorials  were  drawn 


The  Colonial  Period          151 

up  by  the  clergy  in  different  sections  of  the 
country  setting  forth  the  needs  of  Episcopal 
supervision.  "For  want  of  Episcopacy," 
stated  one  of  the  documents,  "our  churches 
remain  unconsecrated,  our  children  are 
grown  up  and  cannot  be  confirmed;  the 
vacancies  which  daily  happen  in  our  min- 
istry cannot  be  supplied  for  a  considerable 
time  from  England,  whereby  many  congre- 
gations .  .  .  become  desolate." 

The  reasons  for  this  failure  were  many. 
America  was  far  away  and  interest  in 
colonial  religious  affairs  was  confined  to  a 
few.  Besides,  the  church  in  England, 
being  connected  with  the  State,  was  com- 
pelled to  gain  the  consent  of  Parliament; 
and  pressure  was  brought  by  the  non-con- 
formists to  prevent  any  act  which  might 
permit  the  sending  of  a  bishop.  Then  the 
conception  of  the  office  of  a  bishop  with 
his  dignities  and  revenues  and  his  position 
as  a  peer  could  not  easily  be  modified:  a 
bishop  of  the  English  type  seemed  out  of 


152  The  Episcopalians 

place  in  the  plantations.  A  traditional 
bishop  would  have  been  out  of  place,  but  a 
spiritual  bishop,  a  leader  of  his  clergy,  liv- 
ing without  ostentation  and  supported  by 
the  voluntary  offerings  of  the  people  would 
have  been  a  power  in  the  new  land  rather 
than  a  cause  of  discord. 

It  was  against  the  idea  of  a  bishop  as  a 
minister  of  state  that  the  greatest  opposi- 
tion grew.  This  was  evident  in  the  con- 
troversy on  this  subject  between  Dr. 
Chandler  of  New  Jersey,  a  vigorous  church- 
man and  Dr.  Chauncey,  a  Congregational 
minister  of  Boston.  Just  before  the  Revo- 
lution the  question  of  an  Episcopate  in 
America  was  discussed  at  great  length  in 
the  newspapers  and  in  pamphlets;  and  the 
fear  of  a  bishop  was  one  of  the  minor 
causes  that  led  to  the  growing  alienation  be- 
tween England  and  the  colonies.  "  The 
fear  of  the  Church  of  England,"  said  John 
Adams,  "contributed  as  much  as  any  other 
cause  to  arrest  the  attention  not  only  of  the 


The  Colonial  Period          153 

inquiring  mind  but  of  the  common  people, 
and  urge  them  to  close  thinking  on  the 
constitutional  authority  of  Parliament  over 
the  colonies."  It  was  stated:  "What  is  to 
hinder  him  (a  bishop)  to  claim  all  the  pow- 
ers exercised  by  Archbishop  Laud  and  his 
ecclesiastical  courts  ?"  That  this  apprehen- 
sion of  the  political  powers  of  a  bishop 
was  the  real  cause  of  the  antagonism  is 
clear,  because  after  the  Revolution  when  the 
tie  with  England  had  been  severed  the 
bishops  who  were  then  consecrated  for 
America  were  received  without  any  outcry 
and  in  many  places  with  welcome. 

The  most  important  factor  in  the  progress 
of  the  church  was  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel,  founded  by  Dr.  Bray 
who,  when  in  Maryland,  had  seen  the  need 
of  such  an  organization.  It  contributed 
large  sums  of  money  to  build  churches  and 
support  ministers.  The  reports  from  its 
missionaries  are  among  the  most  valuable 
of  colonial  documents,  and  give  very  inter- 


154  The  Episcopalians 

esting  details  concerning  the  life  of  the 
people.  Archbishop  Seeker,  speaking  in 
1741,  said:  "Near  a  hundred  churches  have 
been  built;  above  ten  thousand  Bibles  and 
prayer-books,  above  a  hundred  thousand 
other  pious  tracts  distributed;  great  multi- 
tudes, on  the  whole,  of  negroes  and  Indians 
brought  over  to  the  Christian  faith;  many 
numerous  congregations  have  been  set  up 
which  now  support  the  worship  of  God  at 
their  own  expense,  where  it  was  not 
known  before,  and  seventy  persons  are 
constantly  employed  at  the  expense  of  the 
society  in  the  further  service  of  the  gospel." 
The  total  work  of  the  society  during  its 
jurisdiction  in  America  seems  to  have  been 
the  support  of  three  hundred  and  ten  mis- 
sionaries and  the  maintenance  of  over  two 
hundred  central  stations  at  an  expenditure 
of  considerably  over  a  million  dollars.  In 
its  results  it  may  be  said  that  no  mission- 
ary organization  has  ever  been  so  suc- 
cessful in  building  the  foundations  of 


The  Colonial  Period          155 

what  was  to  become  a  great  and  powerful 
church. 

The  character  of  the  clergy  who  min- 
istered in  the  colonies  was  on  the  whole 
excellent.  They  were  men  of  learning  and 
sacrifice;  many  of  them  of  such  strong  per- 
sonality that  they  became  widely  known 
and  were  respected  everywhere.  Their 
lives  and  their  teaching  made  directly  for 
righteousness.  There  were  exceptions,  of 
course,  notably  in  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
but  in  North  Carolina,  and  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  there  were  few  instances 
where  the  clergyman  was  not  a  spiritual 
leader.  In  Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 
New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  the  other 
colonies  the  clergy  were  faithful  preachers 
of  the  gospel  whose  influence  was  the 
equal  of  any  in  piety  and  manhood.  Many 
of  them  were  Englishmen  who  had  come 
in  the  spirit  of  genuine  missionaries,  and 
they  soon  adapted  themselves  to  the  new 
conditions.  A  large  number  were  born  in 


156  The  Episcopalians 

America,  and  after  their  ordination  in 
England  they  were  accepted  as  mission- 
aries by  the  Venerable  Society.  Some  of 
these  young  men  came  from  church 
families,  but  others  had  been  Presbyterians 
and  Congregationalists,  and  even  ministers 
in  these  denominations. 

In  Massachusetts  the  names  will  always 
be  remembered  of  Samuel  Myles,  an  early 
minister  of  King's  Chapel,  an  earnest  and 
thoughtful  man,  and  of  Henry  Caner  a 
successor  in  the  same  church;  Matthias 
Plant  the  beloved  and  venerable  minister  of 
Newburyport;  Timothy  Cutler  the  learned 
and  vigorous  rector  of  Christ  Church, 
Boston;  Edward  Bass  who  served  in  New- 
buryport for  many  years  and  afterwards 
became  the  first  bishop  of  Massachusetts; 
and  of  East  Apthorp  the  refined  and  able 
rector  of  Christ  Church,  Cambridge.  In 
Rhode  Island  there  were  such  men  as 
James  Honeyman,  the  friend  of  Dean 
Berkeley,  who  served  with  rare  faithfulness 


The  Colonial  Period          157 

in  Newport  for  almost  fifty  years;  Dr. 
McSparran,  a  quaint  and  individual  char- 
acter who  wrote  "America  Dissected" 
and  had  rather  a  love  for  controversy;  and 
John  Usher  of  Bristol  of  whom  it  was  said 
that  "he  made  the  welfare  of  the  church 
the  whole  business  of  his  existence  and 
was  called  to  suffer  deprivations  and  hard- 
ships." Connecticut  was  especially  rich  in 
worthy  ministers:  Samuel  Johnson  was  a 
fearless  leader  and  a  man  of  singular  sweet- 
ness of  character,  with  the  outlook  of  a 
statesman  and  the  consecration  of  a  humble 
disciple;  Samuel  Seabury,  the  father  of  the 
future  bishop  of  Connecticut;  Solomon 
Palmer  who  planted  the  church  in  several 
new  communities  in  the  colony;  John  Beach 
who  answered  the  attacks  on  the  Venerable 
Society  made  by  Jonathan  Mayhew;  and 
Jeremiah  Learning  who  was  thought 
worthy  to  be  considered  a  candidate  for 
the  bishopric. 
The  Church  was  represented  in  New 


158  The  Episcopalians 

York  by  a  distinguished  body  of  ministers. 
William  Vesey  the  first  rector  of  Trinity 
Church  was  a  man  of  parts  and  a  good 
preacher.  His  successor,  Dr.  Barclay,  built 
up  the  church  so  successfully  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  build  St.  George's 
Chapel  in  1752.  Dr.  Auchmuthy  won  the 
respect  of  all.  Charles  Inglis  afterwards 
became  the  first  bishop  of  Nova  Scotia. 
Samuel  Provoost  was  a  man  of  strong 
personality  who  sympathized  with  the 
patriot  cause  in  the  Revolution  and  was 
elected  the  first  bishop  of  New  York.  The 
work  of  the  church  in  this  important 
colony  was  greatly  promoted  by  a  number 
of  ardent  laymen:  Lord  Cornbury,  one  of 
the  early  governors,  and  Colonel  Heathcote; 
and  such  illustrious  men  as  Lieutenant- 
Governor  De  Lancey  and  Sir  William 
Johnson. 

The  church  in  Pennsylvania  was  well 
served  by  Archibald  Cummings  and  Robert 
Jenny,  Jacob  Duche,  Richard  Peters,  and 


The  Colonial  Period          159 

William  White  who  became  the  most 
distinguished  clergyman  of  the  church 
after  the  Revolution,  being  consecrated 
first  bishop  of  Pennsylvania.  In  Maryland 
the  two  Commissaries,  Christopher  Wilkin- 
son and  Jacob  Henderson,  were  men  of  un- 
impeachable character  and  faithful  to  every 
duty.  Added  to  these  should  be  mentioned 
Henry  Addison  and  Jonathan  Boucher. 
Virginia  had  a  succession  of  worthy  men, 
from  the  time  of  Dr.  Blair,  who  labored 
amidst  many  difficulties:  the  names  of 
Jarratt  and  Madison,  Griffith,  Davis, 
Bracken  and  Muhlenberg  will  always  be 
remembered  with  pride.  The  Virginia 
families  of  the  Washingtons,  Pendletons, 
Lees,  Meades  and  Randolphs  reared  strong 
laymen  who  were  always  devoted  to  the 
church.  In  the  Carolinas  Commissary 
Garden  was  one  of  the  most  earnest 
representatives  of  the  Bishop  of  London  in 
any  of  the  colonies;  and  Robert  Smith  and 
John  Hodges,  Clement  Hall  and  Alexander 


160  The  Episcopalians 

Stewart  were    the    equal  of    any  of    the 
colonial  ministers. 

The  church  did  not  neglect  the  educational 
interests  of  the  people.  Many  of  the  clergy 
received  scholars  into  their  homes  and  gave 
them  regular  instruction.  Institutions  of 
learning  were  also  founded.  The  first  sug- 
gestion of  the  founding  of  a  college  in 
Virginia  was  made  in  1662.  Dr.  Blair 
acted  upon  this  when  he  arrived  in  1685, 
and  later  sent  a  petition  to  the  queen  for  a 
charter.  This  was  granted,  and  two  thou- 
sand pounds  were  given  by  the  king, 
which  supplemented  the  twenty-five  hun- 
dred pounds  already  given  by  the  merchants 
of  London  for  this  purpose.  The  college 
was  called  "William  and  Mary."  It  was 
built  at  Williamsburg  and  received  its  sup- 
port from  a  tax  on  tobacco  and  a  gift  of 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land.  This  in- 
stitution educated  many  notable  men,  and 
in  the  days  of  its  prosperity  was  of  great 
service  to  the  state  as  well  as  the  church. 


The  Colonial  Period          16 1 

An  impetus  to  collegiate  instruction  in 
the  colonies  was  given  by  the  visit  of  Dean 
Berkeley,  who  came  to  America  in  1729, 
with  the  plan  of  founding  a  college  in  the 
Bermuda  Islands.  His  reputation  as  a 
scholar  and  philosopher  prepared  the  way 
for  his  favorable  reception.  His  friendship 
and  advice  were  of  the  greatest  benefit  to 
the  church.  Because  of  political  conditions 
at  home  his  plans  for  his  college  were  un- 
successful, but  he  took  deep  interest  in  the 
colleges  that  had  already  been  established 
and  was  instrumental  in  starting  new  ones. 
He  contributed  a  library  of  books  and 
landed  property  to  Yale,  where  his  name  is 
held  in  grateful  remembrance.  Gifts  of 
importance  were  made  to  Harvard.  After 
his  return  to  England  he  was  made  Bishop 
of  Cloyne,  but  he  kept  in  touch  with 
American  educational  affairs  through  cor- 
respondence. When  the  College  and 
Academy  of  Philadelphia,  now  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  was  founded  in 


162  The  Episcopalians 

1749,  through  the  efforts  of  Philadelphia 
churchmen,  prominent  among  whom  was 
Benjamin  Franklin,  the  suggestions  of  Dr. 
Berkeley  were  most  valuable.  It  has  been 
also  said  that  Berkeley  was  the  true  spiritual 
founder  of  King's  College,  now  Columbia 
University,  New  York.  He  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  Samuel  Johnson,  the  first 
president,  and  the  trustees  followed  the 
model  which  Bishop  Berkeley  constructed. 
The  site  for  King's  College  was  given  by 
Trinity  Church,  with  the  condition  that  the 
president  should  always  be  a  churchman 
and  that  the  religious  services  should  be  from 
the  prayer  book. 

Many  of  the  church  buildings  were  of 
considerable  dignity,  being  built  in  the 
colonial  style  of  architecture.  They  were 
often  of  stone  and  brick,  and  patterned 
after  the  models  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren; 
others  were  of  wood,  and  planned  in 
rectangular  shape  with  a  slight  chancel. 
The  pews  were  generally  square,  called 


The  Colonial  Period          163 

"box-pews,"  with  high  backs  and  sides, 
designed  for  the  use  of  the  whole  family. 
The  clergy  sometimes  wore  the  surplice, 
but  more  often  a  black  gown  with  bands. 
Beneath  the  pulpit  the  clerk  sat  and  made 
the  responses.  The  organ  was  introduced 
and  at  times  the  musical  part  of  the  service 
was  effectively  rendered.  On  special  oc- 
casions in  such  churches  as  King's  Chapel, 
Boston,  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  and 
Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  the  congre- 
gations were  striking  in  appearance:  the 
men  in  their  velvet  coats  of  different  colors, 
the  officers  in  their  uniforms  and  the  ladies 
in  their  silks  and  satins.  When  the  gov- 
ernors were  churchmen  a  pew  was  usually 
set  apart  for  them  and  their  coat-of-arms 
was  placed  in  a  conspicuous  position.  In 
the  county  districts  of  Rhode  Island, 
Maryland  and  Virginia  the  parishioners 
often  drove  to  church  in  their  coaches  and 
four  with  attendant  grooms.  Galleries  were 
provided  for  the  slaves. 


164  The  Episcopalians 

The  parson  was  a  welcome  guest  in  the 
homes  of  the  people.  By  his  accessibility 
and  intimate  knowledge  of  family  matters 
he  ministered  to  those  who  needed  him  as 
truly  through  social  intercourse  as  in  his 
sermons.  If  in  the  South  the  clergy  some- 
times became  convivial  and  were  known  to 
go  fox-hunting,  in  many  instances  this  was 
the  social  custom  of  the  community  and 
did  not  interfere  with  the  more  serious 
work,  and  would  not  have  been  made  a 
scandal  had  it  not  been  for  the  strictness  of 
a  severe  Puritanical  spirit. 

As  the  Revolution  approached  and  the 
War  of  Independence  broke  out  in  the 
colonies,  the  people  were  divided  in  their 
interests.  There  were  two  well  defined 
parties:  the  Tories  who  were  opposed  to  a 
break  with  England,  and  the  patriots  who 
believed  in  absolute  independence.  The 
loyalists  were  not  confined  to  any  section 
of  the  country,  or  to  any  religious  creed. 
They  felt  that  the  differences  with  England 


The  Colonial  Period          165 

could  be  peacefully  settled,  and  that  the 
prosperity  of  the  colonies  depended  on 
their  continued  union  with  the  mother 
country.  In  New  York  alone  40,000  Tories 
joined  the  king's  forces,  and  thousands  left 
Boston  for  Canada.  There  were  Congre- 
gational ministers  among  the  Tories. 

The  same  variety  of  sentiment  was  found 
among  the  churchmen.  There  were  both 
extreme  loyalists  and  ardent  patriots  among 
them;  and  while  many,  for  reasons  of  con- 
science, opposed  the  Revolution,  others  be- 
cause of  their  devotion  to  independence 
gave  their  lives  and  their  fortunes  to  the 
patriot  cause.  The  question  of  duty 
pressed  very  hard  on  the  clergy  who  were 
missionaries  of  the  Propagation  Society; 
their  stipends  came  from  across  the  water; 
and  when  they  had  been  ordained  they  had 
taken  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British 
Government.  Had  they  any  right  to  break 
this  oath  ?  Many  were  in  a  great  state  of 
perplexity,  especially  since  they  did  not  feel 


166  The  Episcopalians 

that  they  had  any  power  to  change  the 
Liturgy  and  substitute  prayers  for  Congress 
in  the  place  of  those  for  the  king.  In  the 
North,  with  few  exceptions,  the  clergy 
were  loyalists,  while  in  Pennsylvania  and 
the  South  almost  two-thirds  of  them  were 
patriots. 

The  test  came  when  days  of  thanksgiving 
and  prayer  were  set  forth  by  Congress. 
Many  knew  that  it  would  be  fatal  for  them, 
on  such  occasions,  to  read  prayers  for  the 
king;  but  in  many  instances  they  did  this 
and  had  to  suffer  for  it.  While  Mr.  Inglis, 
in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  read  the 
entire  service,  a  company  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  armed  men  entered  the  church 
beating  drums,  and  with  bayonets  fixed. 
Speaking  of  the  clergy  whom  he  knew,  Mr. 
Inglis  wrote,  "Some  have  been  carried  by 
armed  mobs  into  distant  provinces;  some 
have  been  flung  into  jail  by  committees  for 
frivolous  suspicions  of  plots,  of  which  even 
the  persecutors  afterwards  acquitted  them. 


The  Colonial  Period          167 

Some  have  been  pulled  from  their  reading 
desks  because  they  prayed  for  the  king." 

The  sufferings  of  the  loyalist  clergy  were 
severe.  Their  churches  were  shut  up, 
and  often  used  as  barracks  for  troops  or 
stables  for  horses;  their  houses  were  ran- 
sacked; they  were  imprisoned  and  beaten, 
and  in  some  instances  they  died  from  the 
treatment  which  they  received.  They  were 
looked  upon  as  enemies  and  traitors,  and 
their  property  was  confiscated.  Samuel 
Seabury  was  arrested  and  taken  to  Hart- 
ford, but  made  his  escape  and  became  a 
chaplain  to  the  king's  forces  in  New  York. 
Henry  Addison,  of  Maryland,  was  banished 
and  his  estates  valued  at  thirty  thousand 
pounds  were  confiscated.  Jeremiah  Learn- 
ing, of  Connecticut,  was  left  to  suffer  from 
cold  and  nakedness  and  became  lame  for 
life.  John  Weeks,  of  Marblehead,  was  ex- 
iled and  died  of  poverty  and  exposure. 
Many  other  instances  could  be  given  to 
show  how  tenaciously  these  men  held  out 


168  The  Episcopalians 

for  what  they  considered  right.  Though 
they  may  have  been  misled  they  gave  an 
example  of  high  devotion  to  their  principles. 
In  considering  the  attitude  of  the  clergy 
towards  the  Revolution,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  a  very  influential  body  of  them 
were  active  patriots.  They  risked  every- 
thing for  independence.  The  first  Conti- 
nental Congress  was  opened  with  prayer 
by  Jacob  Duche.  "As  many  of  our 
warmest  friends,"  wrote  Samuel  Adams, 
"  are  members  of  the  Church  of  England 
I  thought  it  prudent  ...  to  move  that  the 
service  should  be  performed  by  a  clergy- 
man of  that  denomination.''  After  this, 
William  White  was  chaplain  of  Congress 
for  many  years,  and  in  his  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses upheld  the  cause  of  independ- 
ence. Charles  Thurston,  a  clergyman  in 
Virginia,  entered  the  army  and  attained  the 
rank  of  colonel  in  the  American  forces;  and 
Peter  Muhlenberg,  another  Virginian,  raised 
a  regiment  from  among  his  parishioners, 


The  Colonial  Period          169 

preaching  to  them  in  a  gown  covering  his 
soldier's  uniform.  He  afterwards  became  a 
brigadier-general.  In  South  Carolina,  out 
of  twenty  clergymen,  five  only  were  loy- 
alists, and  Robert  Smith,  the  first  bishop  of 
South  Carolina,  was  a  soldier  for  some 
years.  Two-thirds  of  the  clergy  in  Virginia 
were  patriots;  among  them  was  Madison, 
who  became  the  first  bishop  of  Virginia. 
In  New  Jersey,  Croes,  who  afterwards  was 
bishop,  was  a  non-commissioned  officer  in 
the  army.  In  New  York,  Samuel  Provoost 
was  a  patriot.  In  Massachusetts  the  two 
men  who  became  bishops  of  the  Common- 
wealth kept  their  churches  open  during  the 
war. 

The  laymen  of  the  church  without  any 
question  became  the  most  distinguished 
officers  and  statesmen  of  the  Revolutionary 
period.  Not  being  bound  like  many  of  the 
clergy  by  solemn  vows  of  allegiance  to 
England  they  were  free  to  act;  and  their 
love  for  independence  was  not  inconsistent 


170  The  Episcopalians 

with  their  regard  for  the  church.  "The 
men  of  the  established  Church  of  England," 
wrote  Joseph  Warren,  "  are  men  of  the 
most  just  and  liberal  sentiments  and  are 
high  in  the  esteem  of  the  most  sensible  and 
resolute  defenders  of  the  rights  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  continent."  A  large  majority  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence were  churchmen.  A  list  of  names  of 
those  who  were  pillars  in  upholding  the 
new  Republic  will  include  many  Episco- 
palians: General  Washington,  Patrick 
Henry,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, Alexander  Hamilton,  John  Jay,  Robert 
Morris,  John  Marshall,  Richard  Henry  Lee, 
John  Randolph,  and  many  who  were  not  so 
famous.  The  attitude  of  the  Loyalist 
clergy  has  sometimes  been  overemphasized 
as  if  it  was  the  characteristic  of  churchmen 
as  a  whole.  Nothing  could  be  further  from 
the  truth.  It  is  more  than  probable,  though 
the  facts  have  not  yet  been  completely  as- 
certained, that,  taking  the  clergy  and  laity 


The  Colonial  Period          171 

together  a  very  large  proportion  of  the 
Episcopalians  in  the  colonies  were  uphold- 
ers of  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AFTER  THE   REVOLUTION 

AFTER  the  Revolution  the  church  was  in 
a  weakened  condition.  As  the  state  was 
separated  from  England,  so  was  the  church; 
and  what  remained  of  it  were  the  scattered 
fragments  without  any  bond  of  union  or 
any  centralizing  authority.  It  was  an  Eng- 
lish church  without  any  connection  with 
England;  it  was  an  Episcopal  church  with- 
out a  bishop;  it  was  a  Christian  church  with 
few  ministers  and  most  of  the  church  edi- 
fices closed.  Few  religious  organizations 
have  had  to  face  a  more  serious  problem  of 
threatened  extinction. 

Fortunately  there  were  men  of  faith  and 

ability  who  soon  turned  their  attention  to 

the    saving    of    what  was    left,    and    the 

making  of  preparations  for  a  future  of  re- 

172 


After  the  Revolution          173 

newed  life.  William  Smith  in  Maryland,  a 
Scotchman,  who  had  been  provost  of  the 
academy  in  Philadelphia,  a  preacher  of  note 
and  a  statesman  of  keen  vision,  rendered 
faithful  service  in  this  formative  period. 
William  White  in  Philadelphia,  who  kept 
his  church  open  during  the  war  was  in  a 
position  to  help  in  the  organization  of  the 
scattered  parishes.  The  clergy  in  Connecti- 
cut with  Samuel  Seabury  were  eager  to  be- 
gin afresh;  and  in  Massachusetts,  Samuel 
Parker,  a  practical  and  judicious  man,  with 
his  friend  Edward  Bass,  was  ready  to  co- 
operate in  adopting  whatever  seemed  to  be 
the  wisest  plan. 

The  first  movements  for  revival  were  in- 
dependent, confined  to  the  different  sections 
of  the  country.  Clergy  here  and  there  met 
to  consider  the  requirements  of  their  local- 
ity and  made  independent  changes  in  the 
liturgy.  The  earliest  efforts  were  in  Mary- 
land under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Smith.  He 
saw  the  importance  of  retaining  for  the  use 


174  The  Episcopalians 

of  the  church  the  property  which  had  been 
owned  before  the  war.  Soon  after  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  a  Declaration 
of  Rights  had  been  issued  by  the  Assembly, 
giving  the  Vestries  and  Wardens  power  to 
raise  money  and  restore  church  property. 
In  order  to  make  this  declaration  effective, 
and  to  secure  new  legislation,  Dr.  Smith 
and  others  held  a  conference  at  Chester- 
town,  Kent  County,  Maryland  on  November 
9,  1780.  There  were  three  clergymen  and 
twenty-four  laymen  present.  The  most 
important  act  of  this  conference  was  the 
giving  of  a  name  to  the  church,  which 
might  be  known  in  law  and  thus  become  a 
body  capable  of  holding  property.  It  was 
moved  by  Rev.  James  Jones  Wilmer  "that 
the  Church  of  England  as  heretofore  known 
in  the  province  be  now  called  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church."  Thus  formally  was 
given  the  name  which  was  afterwards 
adopted  by  the  whole  church  in  America. 
It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  this  name 


After  the  Revolution          175 

was  originated  by  Dr.  Smith  and  was  ac- 
cepted without  due  consideration.  Its 
adoption  later,  however,  by  the  whole 
church  is  an  evidence  that  it  peculiarly 
described  the  church  that  was  struggling 
for  existence.  It  was  distinctly  a  Protestant 
church,  and  it  was  an  Episcopal  church.  It 
was  marked  off  from  Rome  by  the  use  of 
the  word  Protestant,  and  it  was  distin- 
guished from  other  bodies  by  the  term 
Episcopal.  The  name  did  not  originate 
with  Dr.  Smith.  It  had  long  been  in  use  in 
England  for  the  English  Church  was  both 
Protestant  and  Episcopal.  It  was  not  the 
formal  name  used  to  describe  the  church  in 
England  but  it  was  a  subsidiary  title,  ap- 
pearing more  or  less  in  writings  and  letters 
of  churchmen.  When  the  question  of  hav- 
ing a  bishop  in  America  had  been  discussed 
the  term  Protestant  bishop  had  been  con- 
stantly used.  Maryland  first  formally 
adopted  the  name  and  later  proceeded  to 
make  it  effective  by  electing  Dr.  Smith  to 


176  The  Episcopalians 

the  office  of  bishop,  recommending  him  to 
the  Bishop  of  London  for  consecration. 
For  various  reasons  he  never  was  made  a 
bishop,  though  he  continued  to  be  one  of 
the  most  active  clergymen  in  the  reorgani- 
zation of  the  church. 

In  Pennsylvania  William  White  seriously 
considered  the  best  plan  for  reviving  the 
churches.  Before  independence  had  been 
acknowledged  he  wrote  a  pamphlet  which 
caused  a  great  deal  of  discussion;  it  was 
called  "The  Case  of  the  Episcopal  Churches 
in  the  United  States  Considered."  Feeling 
that  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  long  time 
to  secure  a  bishop  and  knowing  that  all 
authority  from  England  had  been  with- 
drawn, he  advocated  an  immediate  organ- 
ization without  waiting  for  a  bishop.  He 
suggested  the  ordaining  of  a  presiding 
presbyter  who  should  act  as  a  bishop  until 
one  could  be  secured,  thus  insuring  the  or- 
dination of  ministers  and  the  supervision  of 
the  whole  field.  This  was  a  provisional 


After  the  Revolution          177 

proposition  made  necessary  because  of  the 
requirements  of  the  times.  It  was  never 
acted  upon,  for  independence  was  soon 
achieved  and  it  became  possible  to  apply  to 
England  for  the  consecration  of  American 
bishops.  The  most  important  parts  of 
White's  plan  were  afterwards  adopted  by 
the  church,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  he  was 
thus  early  able  to  outline  the  constitution 
and  organization  of  the  church.  He  ad- 
vised Diocesan  Conventions  to  which  dele- 
gates, both  lay  and  clerical,  should  be  sent 
from  the  separate  parishes;  and  that  a  Gen- 
eral Convention  with  delegates  from  the 
Diocesan  Conventions  should  represent  the 
whole  church.  His  plan  for  the  church  was 
like  the  plan  being  discussed  for  the  nation, 
and  doubtless  arose  from  his  constant  inter- 
course with  the  men  who  were  guiding  the 
affairs  of  the  new  nation.  As  we  have 
seen,  many  of  them  were  churchmen  and 
their  influence  was  as  strong  in  the  councils 
of  the  church  as  in  the  deliberations  of  the 


178  The  Episcopalians 

patriots.  It  was  due  in  no  small  measure 
to  White  and  his  statesmen  friends,  that  the 
church  in  America  in  its  organization  pro- 
ceeded along  national  lines  and  became  a 
representative  body  with  Diocesan  Conven- 
tion similar  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  a 
General  Convention  with  two  houses,  simi- 
lar to  Congress  with  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives.  An  essential  element  in 
this  plan,  which  was  afterwards  adopted, 
was  lay  representation.  The  church  was  to 
be  no  autocracy  of  bishops  and  clergy,  but 
a  democracy  in  which  every  member  had  a 
place  and  a  vote.  In  the  colonial  period  the 
laymen  had  exercised  considerable  power 
in  the  management  of  parochial  affairs, 
and  it  was  natural  that  they  should  con- 
tinue this  influence  in  the  new  structure 
that  was  to  be  built  up.  White  was  a 
thorough  American;  and  he  was  determined 
that  the  church  should  be  wholly  American 
in  organization  and  spirit. 
Important  action  was  soon  taken  in  Con- 


After  the  Revolution          179 

necticut.  A  secret  meeting  of  ten  of  the 
clergy  was  held  at  Woodbury  in  the  last 
week  of  March,  1783.  No  laymen  were 
present.  The  clergy  had  been  loyalists  and 
they  had  not  been  able  as  yet  to  adopt  the 
American  point  of  view.  They  were  op- 
posed to  any  suggestions  of  a  provisional 
organization,  they  wanted  to  have  the  whole 
system  at  once  if  possible.  They  elected 
Samuel  Seabury  to  the  office  of  bishop  and 
instructed  him  to  proceed  at  once  to  Eng- 
land for  consecration.  Seabury  had  been  a 
chaplain  in  the  British  army;  he  was  a 
staunch  churchman;  and  by  his  character, 
learning  and  persistence  was  fitted  to  un- 
dertake the  mission  to  England.  Armed 
with  satisfactory  testimonials  he  sailed  for 
London  in  June,  1783.  He  was  received 
kindly  by  the  ecclesiastical  authorities. 
They  did  not  however  give  him  much  en- 
couragement. An  act  of  Parliament  was 
necessary  to  dispense  with  the  customary 
oath  of  allegiance,  and  the  consent  must  be 


180  The  Episcopalians 

obtained  from  the  State  of  Connecticut  al- 
lowing a  bishop  to  reside  there.  This  con- 
sent was  easily  obtained,  but  no  act  could 
be  secured  from  Parliament.  So  after  wait- 
ing a  year  Seabury  decided  to  go  to  Scot- 
land and  try  to  obtain  consecration  from  the 
non-juring  Scotch  bishops.  They  were  the 
successors  of  the  English  bishops  who  re- 
fused in  1688  to  take  the  oath  to  William 
III.  They  were  Jacobites  and  loyal  to  the 
House  of  Stuart.  They  had  kept  alive  their 
succession  in  Scotland,  and,  though  forming 
a  feeble  church,  they  had  a  regular  ecclesias- 
tical organization. 

After  much  correspondence  and  no  little 
opposition  Robert  Kilgour,  Primus  of  the 
Scotch  Church,  wrote  that  he  was  ready  to 
consecrate  Seabury  and  "to  clothe  him 
with  the  Episcopal  character,  and  thereby 
convey  to  the  western  world  the  blessings 
of  a  free,  valid,  and  purely  ecclesiastical 
Episcopacy."  Accordingly  on  November  14, 
1784,  at  Aberdeen  in  a  little  upper-room 


After  the  Revolution          181 

Seabury  was  consecrated  by  three  Scotch 
bishops.  It  was  an  impressive  and 
significant  event  destined  to  have  a  lasting 
influence  on  the  church  in  America.  The 
example  of  the  Scotch  bishops  made  it 
easier  for  the  English  bishops  at  a  later 
period  to  consecrate  others  to  the  Episco- 
pate; and  the  beautiful  Scotch  communion 
office  through  Seabury's  efforts  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  church  in  America.  When 
the  newly  made  bishop  returned  to  Con- 
necticut he  was  warmly  received  by  all  in 
his  diocese  and  especially  in  New  England 
where  he  performed  many  Episcopal  acts. 
He  was  not  accepted  so  cheerfully  in  the 
Middle  and  Southern  states  partly  because 
he  had  been  a  loyalist  and  partly  because 
the  leading  churchmen  desired  to  have  the 
succession  purely  Anglican.  Fortunately 
these  objections  after  a  time  were  over- 
come and  he  was  cordially  received  and 
given  a  fitting  place  in  the  councils  of  the 
church. 


182  The  Episcopalians 

Up  to  this  time  sections  of  the  church  in 
the  late  colonies  had  acted  independently 
and  on  their  own  initiative.  It,  however, 
soon  became  apparent  that  there  must  be  a 
concerted  movement  if  anything  was  to  be 
accomplished  in  the  direction  of  a  per- 
manent and  united  organization.  At  a 
meeting  held  at  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  May  n,  1784,  a  group  of  clergymen 
from  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  New 
York  discussed  very  thoroughly  the  need 
of  a  general  meeting  and  the  adoption  of 
fundamental  principles.  A  committee  of 
correspondence  was  appointed;  and  it  was 
decided  to  hold  a  general  meeting  in 
October  following.  In  the  meantime  a 
convention  of  a  local  character  was  held 
in  Philadelphia  and  certain  principles  were 
then  adopted  which  greatly  influenced  the 
larger  meeting.  The  hand  of  William  White 
was  seen  in  them.  There  were  six  princi- 
ples laid  down;  that  the  church  ought  to 
be  independent  of  foreign  authority;  that 


After  the  Revolution          183 

it  ought  to  regulate  its  own  concerns;  that 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England  be 
maintained  with  as  much  uniformity  of 
worship  as  possible;  that  there  be  three 
orders  in  the  ministry;  that  the  authority 
to  make  laws  and  canons  be  vested  in  a 
representative  body  of  clergy  and  laity; 
and  that  no  powers  be  delegated  to  a  gen- 
eral ecclesiastical  government  except  those 
that  could  not  conveniently  be  exercised 
by  the  clergy  and  laymen  in  their  congrega- 
tions. Here  was  the  germ  of  a  National 
Church,  governed  by  representative  bodies, 
giving  local  freedom  under  centralized 
authority. 

The  meeting  in  October  in  New  York 
practically  affirmed  the  Philadelphia  princi- 
ples, though  adding  to  them  and  going 
more  into  detail.  There  were  present  at 
this  conference  Samuel  Parker  from  Massa- 
chusetts, John  Marshall  from  Connecticut 
and  William  Smith  from  Maryland,  thus 
giving  it  a  semblance  of  a  general  conven- 


184  The  Episcopalians 

tion.  It  was  not  a  general  convention, 
because  many  of  the  delegates  represented 
only  parishes,  not  local  conventions.  How- 
ever from  this  limited  synod  there  was  a 
movement  set  on  foot  which  resulted  in 
holding  the  first  general  convention  of  the 
Church  on  September  27,  1785,  in  Phila- 
delphia. There  were  sixteen  clergymen 
and  twenty-four  laymen  present.  The 
most  important  acts  of  this  body  were  the 
setting  forth  of  "A  General  Ecclesiastical 
Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America"; 
the  appointment  of  a  committee,  the  leaders 
of  which  were  William  Smith  and  William 
White,  to  recommend  appropriate  changes 
in  the  Liturgy  which  were  finally  em- 
bodied in  what  was  called  the  "Proposed 
Book";  and  an  address  to  the  archbishops 
and  bishops  of  the  Church  of  England 
asking  for  the  consecration  of  bishops. 

After  other  conventions  and  serious  cor- 
respondence with  England  in  which  it  was 


After  the  Revolution          185 

shown  that  the  Americans  did  not  contem- 
plate radical  departure  from  the  mother 
church,  an  act  of  Parliament  was  secured 
enabling  the  English  bishops  to  consecrate 
bishops  for  America.  There  was  great  re- 
joicing at  the  receipt  of  this  news.  On 
November  2,  1786,  William  White,  bishop- 
elect  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Samuel  Provoost, 
bishop-elect  of  New  York,  embarked  for 
England.  Mr.  Adams,  the  American  min- 
ister, accompanied  them  on  their  visit  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  smoothed 
the  way  for  them  as  much  as  possible. 
They  were  presented  to  the  king  who  took 
an  interest  in  their  mission.  Formalities 
having  been  concluded,  on  February  4, 
1787,  the  consecration  took  place  in  the  lit- 
tle Chapel  of  Lambeth  Palace,  and  that 
which  had  long  been  sought  through  the 
whole  colonial  period  was  at  last  secured 
and  the  church  in  America  was  ready  to  be- 
gin its  independent  life  drawing  its  succes- 
sion from  England  but  ready  to  face  its  own 


i86  The  Episcopalians 

problems  in  the  new  world.  Dr.  John 
Moore,  the  archbishop,  was  the  consecra- 
tor,  and  Dr.  William  Markham,  Archbishop 
of  York,  acted  as  precentor;  the  others 
joining  in  the  service  were  Dr.  Charles 
Moore,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  and  Dr. 
John  Wickliffe,  Bishop  of  Peterborough. 
At  a  later  date,  1790,  in  the  same  chapel 
James  Madison,  Bishop-elect  of  Virginia, 
was  consecrated,  thus  making  complete  in 
the  persons  of  the  three  bishops  the  line  of 
Anglican  orders. 

On  the  return  of  Bishop  White  and 
Bishop  Provoost  to  America,  an  important 
question  arose  whether  they  should  join 
with  Bishop  Seabury  in  the  consecration  of 
an  American  bishop.  After  a  good  deal  of 
controversy  and  after  the  consecration  of 
Bishop  Madison  this  union  was  accom- 
plished when  the  three  bishops  of  Anglican 
orders  and  Bishop  Seabury  with  his  Scotch 
orders  laid  their  hands  on  Thomas  John 
Claggett,  September  17,  1792,  and  made 


After  the  Revolution  187 

him  Bishop  of  Maryland, — this  being  the 
first  consecration  of  a  bishop  on  American 
soil. 

One  of  the  most  important  conventions 
of  the  church  was  that  held  October  5, 
1789.  The  House  of  Bishops  was  organ- 
ized; and  changes  were  made  in  the  prayer- 
book.  The  "  Proposed  Book,"  which  had 
been  prepared  by  Dr.  Smith  and  Dr.  White 
was  considered  too  revolutionary;  it  made 
radical  alterations;  and  in  many  respects 
was  the  setting  forth  of  a  new  Liturgy 
rather  than  the  amending  of  the  English 
book.  Various  alterations,  however,  were 
made.  The  verbal  changes  were  mostly  of 
a  political  nature;  and  additions  were  made 
in  the  selection  of  Psalms.  An  office  for 
the  Visitation  of  Prisoners  was  taken 
from  the  Irish  Prayer  Book,  and  an 
Order  of  Family  Prayer  was  added.  The 
Athanasian  Creed  was  omitted.  Certain 
rubrics  were  also  omitted,  especially  the 
Ornaments  Rubric  and  the  Black  Rubric. 


i88  The  Episcopalians 

Through  the  influence  of  Bishop  Seabury 
the  Consecration  Prayer  of  Oblation  and 
Invocation  taken  from  the  Scotch  office  and 
originally  in  the  First  Prayer-book  of  Edward 
VI  was  introduced  in  the  service  for  Holy 
Communion,  thus  enriching  the  service. 
The  spirit  of  these  changes  was  later  set 
forth  by  a  convention  which  declared 
that  "the  church  conceives  herself  as  pro- 
fessing and  acting  on  the  principles  of  the 
Church  of  England;  but  it  would  be  con- 
trary to  fact  were  any  one  to  infer  that  the 
discipline  exercised  in  this  church  or  that 
any  proceedings  therein,  are  at  all  depend- 
ent on  the  will  of  the  civil  or  ecclesias- 
tical authority  of  any  foreign  country." 

Through  the  strife  of  the  revolution  a  new 
nation  was  born;  and  through  the  independ- 
ence secured,  a  church,  national  in  feeling 
and  scope,  was  created.  While  it  is  true 
that  there  are  unmistakable  signs  of  inherit- 
ance from  England  and  thus  the  church  in 
America  belongs  to  the  great  Anglican  Com- 


After  the  Revolution          189 

munion,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  there  are 
many  differences  and  a  new  line  of  de- 
velopment was  begun.  The  dissimilarities 
soon  began  to  appear.  In  America  there  is 
no  connection  between  church  and  state, 
and  the  church  is  supported  by  the  volun- 
tary offerings  of  the  people.  This  gives  a 
sense  of  responsibility  and  fosters  loyalty 
and  devotion.  The  bishops  are  not  peers 
of  the  realm  supported  by  vast  endow- 
ments, but  plain  men  devoting  their  time  to 
the  spiritual  interests  of  their  dioceses.  The 
laymen,  representing  the  parishes,  have 
power  in  all  financial  matters,  in  the  calling 
of  the  clergy,  in  voting  at  the  conventions; 
and  are  a  strong  regulative  force  in  the 
management  and  development  of  religious 
work. 

The  growth  of  such  a  church  was  made 
possible  by  the  separation  from  England, 
which  at  first  seemed  to  mean  extinction. 
Owing,  however,  to  the  generosity  and 
wisdom  of  the  English  Church  in  allowing 


190  The  Episcopalians 

the  church  in  America  to  perfect  itself  in 
all  essential  particulars,  there  was  an  oppor- 
tunity given  under  the  new  conditions  for  a 
great  religious  body  to  rise,  ancient  in  form, 
apostolical  in  doctrines  and  usages,  and 
democratic  in  methods,  suited  to  minister 
with  increasing  efficiency  to  the  people  of 
a  great  continent. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

NINETEENTH  CENTURY 

AFTER  the  period  of  organization  and  al- 
most up  to  the  first  quarter  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  the  progress  of  the  church 
was  slow.  For  this  feebleness  there  were 
many  reasons.  The  prejudice  against  the 
church  because  of  its  English  associations 
was  still  strong.  The  Methodist  move- 
ment which  began  within  the  church  had 
gradually  broken  away,  taking  with  it  great 
numbers  of  churchmen.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  if  the  significance  of  the  Method- 
ist movement  had  been  understood,  and 
if  there  had  been  more  sympathy  and  elas- 
ticity within  the  church,  it  is  possible  that 
some  basis  of  union  could  have  been  found. 
Various  opportunities  were  lost  for  retain- 
ing the  Methodists.  If  there  has  been  an 
191 


192  The  Episcopalians 

American  Episcopate  before  the  Revolution 
it  is  doubtful  whether  John  Wesley  would 
have  appointed  superintendents  for  his 
work  in  America;  and  Asbury  and  Coke 
would  not  have  set  themselves  up  as  bish- 
ops, much  against  the  will  of  Wesley. 
When  Coke  and  Asbury  proposed  to  Bish- 
ops White  and  Seabury  that  they  be  conse- 
crated "as  bishops  of  the  Methodist  So- 
ciety in  the  United  States  (or  by  any  other 
title,  if  that  be  not  proper),  on  the  supposi- 
tion of  the  union  of  the  two  churches, 
under  proper  mutual  stipulation,"  a  chance 
was  given  to  forge  a  bond  of  cooperation. 
It  was  not  to  be;  and  the  Methodist  Church 
began  its  great  career  of  independent  ex- 
istence. In  common  with  other  churches 
the  Episcopal  Church  felt  the  influence  of 
French  infidelity.  Tom  Paine's  "Age  of 
Reason "  had  a  widespread  circulation. 
People  began  to  prophesy  that  Christianity 
was  doomed;  and  in  many  places  religion 
and  morals  were  at  a  low  ebb.  The  immi- 


Nineteenth  Century  193 

grants  that  came  into  the  country,  and  the 
adventurous  pioneers  who  pushed  out  into 
the  West,  were  not  partial  either  by  nation- 
ality or  training  to  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Life  in  the  new  nation  was  primitive  and 
unrelated;  and  the  church  reflected  the 
feebleness  that  often  attends  the  birth  of 
new  movements. 

However  there  were  three  men  who 
stood  out  conspicuously,  Bishop  Griswold 
in  New  England,  Bishop  Hobart  in  New 
York,  and  Bishop  Moore  of  Virginia.  They 
were  typical  of  different  tendencies  and 
represented  the  forces  that  were  work- 
ing for  the  vitalizing  of  the  spiritual 
growth  of  the  church.  Griswold  was  a 
Low-churchman,  Hobart,  a  High-church- 
man, and  Moore  a  decided  Evangelical. 
Griswold  was  a  saintly  man  of  gentle  man- 
ners and  earnest  piety.  He  was  elected 
Bishop  of  the  Eastern  Diocese  in  1810,  a 
diocese  formed  by  the  union  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Rhode  Island,  New  Hampshire 


194  The  Episcopalians 

and  Vermont.  The  Eastern  Diocese,  by  its 
combination  of  different  states  was  an  ex- 
periment in  the  adoption  of  the  provincial 
system,  made  necessary  by  the  desire  to 
support  a  bishop.  There  had  been  no 
bishop  in  this  entire  section  for  six  years, 
Bishop  Parker,  of  Massachusetts,  having 
died  without  performing  an  Episcopal  act. 
The  territory  was  so  large  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult for  Bishop  Griswold  to  cover  the  whole 
of  it,  but  for  twenty-five  years  he  travelled 
from  Vermont  to  Rhode  Island  and  minis- 
tered to  the  churches.  Wherever  he  went 
he  carried  the  gospel  of  love.  Through 
the  respect  that  he  won  everywhere  he 
commended  his  church  and  his  office  of  a 
bishop  to  the  Puritans  of  New  England, 
and  did  more  to  counteract  the  rise  of  Uni- 
tarianism  by  his  character  than  by  contro- 
versy. King's  Chapel  had  been  lost,  when 
after  the  Revolution,  its  lay  reader,  Mr. 
Freeman,  had  been  ordained  by  the  senior 
warden,  and  it  became  the  first  Unitarian 


Nineteenth  Century  195 

Church  in  America.  In  spite  of  this, 
Bishop  Griswold,  assisted  by  the  Boston 
clergy,  was  able  to  hold  many  of  the  church 
families,  and  endeared  himself  to  them  by 
his  example  and  teaching. 

John  Henry  Hobart  had  rare  intellectual 
gifts.  He  was  a  student,  a  thinker,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  man  of  affairs.  Force, 
energy  and  devotion  characterized  him. 
The  church  as  an  institution  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  Christian  character  early  seized 
upon  his  heart  and  imagination.  His  books 
illustrate  his  point  of  view:  "Companion 
for  the  Altar,"  and  "Apology  for  Apostolic 
Order."  He  has  been  described  as  "a 
larger  Seabury  touched  with  emotion, 
awake  to  the  necessities  and  responsive  to 
the  spirit  of  his  time."  He  was  consecrated 
bishop  at  the  same  time  with  Bishop  Gris- 
wold on  May  29,  1811,  and  immediately 
began  his  distinguished  work  in  New  York. 
It  was  due  to  his  suggestion  and  efforts  that 
the  General  Theological  Seminary  was  es- 


196  The  Episcopalians 

tablished  in  New  York,  and  for  a  time  he 
was  a  professor  of  pastoral  theology.  His 
missionary  interests  were  keen.  At  one 
time  he  confirmed  eighty-nine  Indians  and 
at  another  ninety-seven.  Bishop  Hobart 
was  on  the  whole  a  conservative  in  thought 
but  progressive  in  action. 

A  very  difficult  problem  confronted 
Richard  Channing  Moore  when  he  went  to 
Virginia  after  his  consecration  in  1814.  He 
was  unfamiliar  with  the  conditions,  only 
knowing  that  the  church  was  moribund 
and  that  he  was  determined  to  infuse  new 
life  into  it.  Ardent  by  temperament  and 
endowed  with  social  charm  he  was  es- 
pecially fitted  to  deal  with  the  churchmen 
of  Virginia.  His  evangelical  emphasis  on 
personal  religion  was  both  needed  and 
appreciated.  He  was  eloquent  and  pos- 
sessed personal  magnetism.  As  rector  of 
the  Monumental  Church  in  Richmond,  a 
position  he  was  forced  to  accept  because  of 
the  needed  financial  support,  he  exercised  a 


Nineteenth  Century  197 

wide  influence  through  his  preaching.  He 
was  surrounded  by  some  strong  men  among 
the  clergy  and  they  helped  him  in  his  efforts 
to  build  up  the  church.  There  was  Wilmer 
of  Fairfax,  Dunn  of  Loudon  County,  and 
William  Meade,  that  remarkable  man  who 
afterwards  became  his  successor.  He  soon 
increased  the  number  of  clergy  and  aroused 
old  parishes  into  life.  He  encouraged 
lecture-room  services  and  prayer-meetings. 
Believing  in  the  need  of  an  educated  min- 
istry he  was  active  in  founding  the  Virginia 
Theological  Seminary,  which  began  its  career 
of  great  usefulness  in  1 823.  He  also  assisted 
in  the  publication  of  the  Southern  Church- 
man, which  has  ever  since  ably  expressed 
the  views  of  the  church  in  the  South.  His 
work  for  the  negroes  was  constant;  and  his 
last  words  in  the  General  Convention  of 
1841  were  in  relation  to  the  sending  of  a 
missionary  bishop  to  West  Africa. 

The  recuperative   power  of  the  church 
was  manifested  in  other  sections.     Strong 


198  The  Episcopalians 

men  were  selected  as  bishops,  and  their 
lives  told.  Theodore  Dehon  began  his 
work  in  South  Carolina  in  1812;  James 
Kemp  was  consecrated  for  Maryland  in  1814, 
and  Bishop  Brownell  took  up  his  labors 
in  Connecticut  in  1819.  The  journal  for 
the  General  Convention  for  1820  describes 
the  condition  of  the  church  very  fully.  In 
Maine  the  church  was  growing;  in  Vermont 
three  new  churches  had  been  built;  in  Rhode 
Island  it  is  stated  that  "there  is  a  decided 
and  increasing  attachment  to  the  peculiar- 
ities of  our  communion";  in  New  York 
twenty-four  priests  were  ordained;  in  North 
Carolina  there  was  a  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  communicants;  and  even  from 
Ohio  it  was  reported  that  churches  at  Day- 
ton and  Miami  had  been  started. 

In  many  respects  the  most  important  con- 
secration was  that  of  Philander  Chase,  the 
missionary  of  the  Northwest.  He  pos- 
sessed the  spirit  of  the  pioneers,  and  rivalled 
the  energy  of  the  Methodist  circuit  riders. 


Nineteenth  Century  199 

He  saw  the  great  opportunities  of  the  West 
and  believed  in  being  early  in  the  field  as  a 
representative  of  the  church.  He  was  con- 
secrated in  1819.  Often  in  the  midst  of 
great  hardships,  he  travelled  from  village  to 
village  and  from  log  cabin  to  camp.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  and 
was  of  good  Yankee  stock.  It  has  been 
said  of  him  that  he  laid  more  foundations 
than  any  other  man  in  the  church.  In  1817 
he  went  on  horseback  to  the  "Western 
Reserve,"  and  he  surprised  his  hearers  by 
saying  in  one  of  his  informal  sermons  that 
"the  proper  attitude  when  we  pray  is  upon 
our  knees,  as  did  Solomon,  Daniel,  Stephen, 
and  Paul."  He  founded  Kenyon  College, 
named  after  Lord  Kenyon,  who  assisted  him 
in  the  collection  of  money  when  he  was  in 
England  pleading  his  cause.  The  English 
people  were  charmed  by  his  rugged  sim- 
plicity and  the  story  he  had  to  tell.  On  a 
second  visit  to  England  he  received  enough 
money  to  found  Jubilee  College.  From 


2oo  The  Episcopalians 

Ohio,  Bishop  Chase  went  to  Michigan  and 
then  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  again  elected 
bishop.  He  was  not  always  practical,  and 
sometimes  given  to  contention,  but  his 
extensive  work  in  the  newer  parts  of  the 
country  enlarged  the  horizon  of  churchmen 
and  made  them  see  the  imperative  demand 
for  an  intelligent  expansion. 

Another  pioneer  bishop  was  James 
Harvey  Otey,  a  tall,  raw-boned  man,  with 
muscles  large  enough  and  combative  spirit 
sufficient  to  win  him  the  title  of  "the 
fighting  bishop."  "  Before  you  try  to 
throw  me  out  of  the  window,"  he  once 
said,  pointing  to  his  biceps  in  the  presence 
of  a  pugnacious  gambler,  "  please  feel 
that."  But  his  spirit  was  placid,  and  his 
aim  in  life  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom. 
He  came  in  contact  with  the  strange  and 
disorderly  inhabitants  of  Tennessee  and 
Mississippi,  and  with  one  consent  was 
made  their  bishop.  He  was  interested  in 
education,  having  once  been  a  teacher  in 


Nineteenth  Century  201 

Franklin,  Tennessee;  and  he  promoted  the 
public  schools,  and  founded  schools  for 
boys  and  girls,  dreaming,  meanwhile,  of 
a  university  for  the  South  which  was 
realized  at  Sewanee  years  later. 

The  missionary  impulse  was  beginning 
to  be  felt  throughout  the  church  which  by 
this  time  was  firmly  rooted  in  the  thirteen 
original  States.  Missionary  societies  had 
been  started  in  Philadelphia  as  early  as 
1812.  The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  was  founded  on  November 
21,  1821.  This  was  to  be  the  missionary 
society  of  the  whole  church  and  was  to 
work  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  idea 
of  winning  the  world  to  Christ,  and  that 
the  duty  of  every  Christian  was  to  help  in 
the  spread  of  the  gospel,  was  constantly 
presented  by  all  types  of  churchmen.  The 
watchword  was  that  "The  church  is  the 
missionary  society  and  every  Christian  in 
terms  of  his  baptismal  vow  a  member." 
The  bishops  and  the  deputies  of  the  Gen- 


2O2  The  Episcopalians 

eral  Convention,  represented  by  a  board  of 
directors,  formed  the  central  organization. 
Auxiliary  societies  were  established;  in 
1836  there  were  thirty-two  such  societies. 
An  important  change  in  policy  was 
adopted  in  1835.  It  had  been  the  custom 
up  to  this  time  to  recognize  the  State  as  the 
diocesan  unit,  and  to  think  of  the  church 
as  a  federation  of  the  different  states.  No 
bishop  was  sent  until  he  was  asked  for. 
The  growth  in  the  West  was  so  great  that 
it  was  soon  evident  that  the  waiting  for 
statehood  before  the  formation  of  a  diocese 
would  delay  progress.  It  was  seen  that 
waiting  for  the  demand  for  a  bishop  was 
not  the  true  method,  and  that  the  most 
effective  way  was  to  send  the  bishop,  and 
let  him  build  up  his  work.  A  division  of 
the  state  into  several  dioceses  was  also  ac- 
cepted as  a  good  working  principle.  Jack- 
son Kemper  was  the  first  missionary 
bishop  sent  out  in  1835  to  Missouri  and 
Indiana,  and  by  his  apostolic  labors  justified 


Nineteenth  Century  203 

the  new  plan  which  has  been  followed 
with  fruitful  results  ever  since. 

The  earliest  foreign  missionary  work  fell 
to  the  lot  of  Joseph  Andrews  who  went  to 
Liberia  in  1820  as  an  agent  of  the  Coloniza- 
tion Society.  This  beginning  was  soon 
followed  by  the  mission  to  Greece  where 
in  1830  in  Athens  John  R.  Hill  and  his  wife 
established  two  successful  schools  for 
boys  and  girls.  The  mission  in  China 
was  begun  in  1834  and  Bishop  Boone  be- 
came the  first  foreign  missionary  bishop 
when  he  was  consecrated  for  China  in 
1844. 

The  impulse  for  missionary  work  and  the 
deepening  of  the  religious  life  of  the  church 
sprang  from  the  two  spiritual  tendencies 
that  were  growing  side  by  side.  The 
fervor  of  the  Evangelicals,  and  the  devotion 
of  the  High-churchmen,  both  contributed 
important  elements  to  the  increasing 
activity  of  the  church.  As  in  England 
various  schools  of  thought  representing 


204  The  Episcopalians 

different  parties  had  given  rise  to  new 
religious  sentiments  and  institutions,  and 
the  common  life  of  the  church  had  thereby 
become  enriched,  so  in  America  the  same 
tendencies  expressed  themselves.  The 
books  of  the  English  theologians  were 
eagerly  read  and  similar  works  were 
written  by  American  churchmen. 

Drawing  their  inspiration  from  Simeon, 
Bishop  Proteus  and  Thomas  Scott,  the 
author  of  the  famous  Commentary,  the 
Low-churchmen  emphasized  the  subjective 
and  emotional  side  of  religious  experience. 
Personal  piety,  the  need  of  conversion,  the 
salvation  of  the  individual  and  ardent  love 
for  the  Person  of  Christ  were  their  main 
themes.  There  was  a  strain  of  Calvinism  and 
Puritanism  in  the  make  up  of  these  men. 
They  labored  to  save  souls  from  lasting 
punishment.  The  most  important  thing 
was  the  spirit  not  the  form;  and  their  atti- 
tude towards  the  church  was  governed  by 
their  conception  of  the  supreme  value  of 


Nineteenth  Century  205 

the  intercourse  with  God  and  Christ  through 
prayer  and  personal  communion.  The  or- 
ganization of  the  church  was  not  necessa- 
rily divine;  bishops  were  for  the  well-being 
of  the  church  not  needed  for  its  existence; 
Apostolical  Succession  was  an  historical 
fact,  but  the  grace  of  God  was  not  limited 
by  a  theory;  Christians  of  other  names 
were  just  as  good  Christians;  any  one  who 
had  accepted  Christ  must  be  a  friend.  The 
real  efficacy  of  ordination  and  the  Sacraments 
was  in  the  spiritual  state  of  the  believer. 
The  words,  "  altar  "  and  "  priest "  were  ob- 
jectionable; and  outward  forms  and  genu- 
flexions were  distasteful.  Prayer-meetings 
and  revivals  were  employed  to  stimulate  de- 
votion. 

Among  the  Evangelicals  were  some  of  the 
noblest  men  of  the  church.  Bishop  Meade 
of  Virginia  was  a  stalwart  champion. 
Bishop  Burgess  of  Maine,  one  of  the  most 
scholarly  of  men,  Bishop  Eastburn  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, Eliott  of  Georgia,  Polk  of 


206  The  Episcopalians 

Louisiana,  Bedell  of  Ohio,  Alonzo  Potter  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Stephen  Tyng  and  Dr. 
Milnor  were  all  representatives  of  this  move- 
ment. The  Alexandria  Theological  Semi- 
nary sent  out  men  of  this  type. 

On  the  other  hand  High-churchmanship, 
while  insisting  on  genuine  spiritual  experi- 
ence, gave  a  much  greater  place  to  the  in- 
stitution than  the  Evangelicals.  It  em- 
phasized the  individual  as  part  of  the  or- 
ganization and  that  religious  life  must  flow 
from  the  channels  of  grace  provided  in  the 
divinely  ordered  church.  The  three  orders 
of  the  ministry  were  considered  necessary 
to  the  existence  of  the  church;  and  the  ex- 
ternal act  of  ordination  and  consecration 
imparted  the  grace  and  power.  There  was 
an  exclusiveness  and  unreadiness  to  ac- 
knowledge the  validity  of  orders  or  sacra- 
ments outside  of  the  church.  The  fasts 
and  feasts  of  the  church  were  rigorously 
observed.  Baptismal  regeneration  and  the 
Real  Presence  in  the  Elements  of  the 


Nineteenth  Century  207 

Eucharist  were  taught.  The  visible  and 
definite  institution  of  the  church  was  mag- 
nified, its  interests  guarded  and  its  exten- 
sion planned  for. 

Bishop  Hobart  was  an  exponent  of  this 
interpretation.  The  work  was  carried  on 
by  such  men  as  Bishop  Otey,  Bishop  De 
Lancey  and  Bishop  Whittingham.  Bishop 
Doane,  of  New  Jersey,  was  also  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  general  trend  of  High- 
churchmanship.  After  the  Oxford  move- 
ment had  stirred  up  new  life  in  the  Church 
of  England  its  influence  was  felt  in  America 
and  greatly  aided  those  who  were  eager  for 
more  elaborate  ritual  and  a  return  to  doc- 
trines and  practices  of  the  pre-Reformation 
times.  It  was  supposed  that  many  would 
follow  the  example  of  Newman  in  going 
over  to  the  Roman  Church.  Dr.  Kenrick, 
the  Roman  bishop,  appealed  to  the  Episco- 
pal bishops  to  enter  the  Roman  Commun- 
ion on  the  ground  that  the  "Tracts  for  the 
Times,"  had  yielded,  one  by  one,  almost 


208  The  Episcopalians 

every  ground  of  dispute,  "and  he  pro- 
posed "  to  reconcile  the  Articles  with  the 
Council  of  Trent.  Bishop  Hopkins  of 
Vermont,  a  learned  controversialist,  an- 
swered this  proposal  in  a  vigorous  negative. 
One  bishop,  however,  responded  to  it 
affirmatively.  Bishop  Ives  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Bishop  Ravenscroft,  the  dignified 
and  zealous  bishop  of  North  Carolina, 
felt  a  doubt  as  to  the  validity  of  his 
consecration,  and,  having  for  many  years 
studied  Roman  Catholic  books,  he  was 
finally  convinced  that  the  logical  outcome 
of  his  thought  was  submission  to  the 
Roman  Church.  "  I  am  called  upon,  there- 
fore," wrote  Bishop  Ives,  from  Rome,  in 
1852,  to  his  diocese,  "to  do  an  act  of  self- 
sacrifice,  in  view  of  which  all  other  sacrific- 
ing acts  of  my  life  are  less  than  nothing. 
...  I  hereby  resign  into  your  hands  my 
office  as  Bishop  of  North  Carolina;  and 
further,  that  I  am  determined  to  make  my 
submission  to  the  Catholic  Church." 


Nineteenth  Century  209 

The  Evangelicals  and  the  High-church- 
men were  often  brought  into  collision. 
Controversial  writings  multiplied.  The 
General  Theological  Seminary  became  the 
recognized  source  of  the  Catholic  revival, 
and  the  Alexandria  Seminary  was  the 
stronghold  of  the  Evangelicals.  The  Low- 
churchmen  were  deeply  interested  in  for- 
eign missions,  and  it  was  generally  agreed 
that  they  should  have  this  field  to  them- 
selves; the  High-churchmen  claimed  the 
domestic  field  and  sent  out  their  bishops  to 
the  great  regions  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
While  there  was  constant  friction  there  was 
no  rupture;  and  the  enthusiasm  and  activity 
of  both  parties  helped  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  the  church.  Enrichment  came 
through  the  hymns  of  Doane,  Muhlenberg, 
Croswell,  and  Coxe.  Literary  activity  was 
stimulated  by  the  writings  of  Bishop  Kip 
of  California,  John  Henry  Hopkins  of  Ver- 
mont, and  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  who  opposed 
the  new  views  in  his  "  Oxford  Theology." 


2io  The  Episcopalians 

Services  were  multiplied;  and  there  were 
more  frequent  celebrations  of  the  Holy 
Communion.  It  was  inevitable  that  there 
should  be  such  divergences  of  views;  and  to 
many  these  various  opinions  were  a  new 
revelation  of  the  breadth  and  comprehen- 
siveness of  the  church. 

Uniformity  of  opinion  is  not  necessary 
for  spiritual  growth.  The  church  was  not 
a  sect  circumscribed  by  inflexible  bounda- 
ries, but  hospitable  and  Catholic  in  its  wide- 
reaching  sympathies.  This  became  in- 
creasingly clear.  There  were  certain  men 
within  the  church  who  began  to  realize  it 
fully.  Of  these  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  the 
leader. 

William  Augustus  Muhlenberg  was  a 
man  of  singular  sweetness  of  character, 
noted  for  his  unselfishness  and  charity. 
The  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion  in 
New  York,  which  he  founded,  was  the  first 
free  church  in  the  country,  and  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  which  he  started  was  the  earliest 


Nineteenth  Century  211 

hospital  established  by  a  church  in  Amer- 
ica. He  was  a  poet  and  hymn-writer  as 
well.  He  called  himself  an  Evangelical 
Catholic,  wishing  to  combine  the  best  ele- 
ments of  both  terms.  Seeking  to  inspire 
the  church  with  a  full  sense  of  its  exalted 
mission  in  America,  he  desired  to  see  it 
assert  its  comprehensiveness  and  act  as  a 
great  unifying  force  to  the  Protestants  of 
the  land.  With  these  motives,  he  presented 
with  others  a  "Memorial "to  the  General 
Convention  of  1853,  in  which  he  called  at- 
tention to  the  need  of  the  church's  adapting 
itself  to  the  conditions  of  the  time,  and  he 
asked  pertinently  "whether  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  with  only  her  present 
canonical  means  and  appliances,  her  fixed 
and  invariable  modes  of  worship,  and 
her  traditional  customs  and  usages  is 
competent  to  the  work  of  preaching  and 
dispensing  the  gospel  to  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men,  and  so  adequate  to  do  the 
work  of  the  Lord  in  this  land  and  age  ?  " 


212  The  Episcopalians 

The  request  was  made  that  a  wider  door 
be  opened  for  admission  to  the  ministry, 
and  that  men  of  other  churches  be  ordained 
without  requiring  them  to  give  up  their 
distinctive  views  or  work.  A  desire  was 
expressed  for  greater  variety  and  flexibility 
in  the  use  of  the  Liturgy,  and  that  there 
be  adopted  "some  ecclesiastical  system, 
broader,  and  more  comprehensive  than  that 
which  you  now  administer." 

These  were  revolutionary  proposals. 
They  aimed  at  nothing  less  than  a  complete 
reorganization  along  the  lines  of  freedom 
and  church  union.  They  called  for  a  de- 
liberate recognition  of  Christianity  outside  of 
the  church  and  suggested  a  way  to  bring 
about  Christian  union  without  the  sacrifice 
of  cherished  beliefs.  The  acceptance  of 
the  cardinal  truths  of  Christ  was  sufficient. 
It  is  surprising  how  much  sympathy  was 
awakened  by  this  plan,  but  the  time  was 
not  ripe  for  it.  Liturgical  elasticity  was 
the  immediate  result.  The  main  features 


Nineteenth  Century          213 

were  not  adopted,  but  it  held  up  an  ideal 
which  has  never  been  forgotten  and  made 
men  familiar  with  the  thought  of  compre- 
hension and  of  larger  duties  to  the  state  and 
the  nation.  In  the  subsequent  history  of 
the  church  it  played  an  important  part  and 
was  directly  responsible  for  the  spirit  which 
put  forth  the  Chicago  articles  on  church 
unity  called  popularly  the  Quadrilateral,  en- 
dorsed in  1888  by  the  Lambeth  Conference 
of  all  the  bishops  of  the  Anglican  Com- 
munion. 

The  differences  of  opinion  in  the  nation, 
both  North  and  South,  concerning  slavery 
and  the  rights  of  the  individual  state,  were 
naturally  to  be  found  in  the  church.  The 
causes  that  led  to  the  Civil  War  were  em- 
bedded in  the  total  life  of  the  people.  Be- 
fore the  war  burst  upon  the  country,  house 
was  divided  against  house  and  community 
against  community.  Among  the  Method- 
ists there  had  been  the  great  secession 
which  divided  the  church  in  1845.  The 


214  The  Episcopalians 

Southern  Presbyterian  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1861.  Formal  fellowship  had  al- 
ready ceased  between  the  Southern  and 
Northern  Baptists  and  other  congregational 
bodies.  In  the  Episcopal  Church  there  was 
great  forbearance  on  both  sides.  Differing 
radically  as  many  of  its  members  did,  they 
cultivated  self-restraint  so  as  not  to  in- 
crease the  growing  alienation.  While 
many  pulpits  were  thundering  forth  polit- 
ical orations  the  Episcopal  clergy  for  the 
most  part  refrained  from  violent  utterance; 
and  the  church  officially  did  not  take  sides 
until  it  was  evident  that  peace  was  impos- 
sible. 

This  policy  preserved  the  friendly  rela- 
tions between  churchmen  North  and  South; 
and  each  entered  sympathetically  into  the 
problems  that  the  other  was  called  upon  to 
face.  At  the  General  Conventions  every  three 
years  they  met  in  friendly  counsel.  Corre- 
spondence was  kept  up  between  Bishop 
Meade  and  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  and  Bishop 


Nineteenth  Century          215 

Whittingham  and  Bishop  Hopkins.  Bishops, 
taking  different  sides,  agreed  to  pray  for  one 
another  every  Sunday  morning  by  name. 
There  was  sorrow  and  sympathy  rather 
than  antagonism  and  hatred. 

Many  of  the  Southern  bishops  opposed 
secession  at  first.  Bishop  Meade  did  all  he 
could  to  avert  the  storm.  "It  is  God 
alone/'  wrote  Otey  of  Tennessee,  "  that  can 
still  the  madness  of  the  people  !  .  ,'. 
What  can  we  expect,  other  than  violence 
among  the  masses  when  the  fathers  of  the 
land  openly  avow  their  determination  to 
destroy  the  work  which  their  fathers  es- 
tablished at  the  expense  of  their  blood?" 
When  secession  was  recognized  as  the 
policy  of  the  state  and  the  rupture  had 
come,  the  Southern  churchmen  felt  it  a  duty 
to  act  loyally  with  their  state.  Thus  the 
church  in  the  South  was  separated  by  polit- 
ical causes  from  the  church  at  the  North. 
It  was  "  a  separation,  not  division,  certainly 
not  alienation,"  wrote  Bishop  Polk.  It  soon 


216  The  Episcopalians 

became  necessary,  however,  for  the  church 
in  the  several  Southern  states  to  organize 
the  separate  dioceses  into  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  Confederate  states. 
"This  necessity,"  wrote  Polk  and  Elliott, 
"does  not  arise  out  of  any  division  which 
has  occurred  within  the  church  itself,  nor 
from  any  dissatisfaction  with  either  the 
doctrine  or  discipline  of  the  church.  We 
rejoice  to  record  that  we  are  to-day,  as  truly 
brethren  as  we  have  ever  been,  and  that  no 
deed  has  been  done,  or  word  uttered,  which 
leaves  a  single  wound  rankling  in  any 
breast." 

The  organization  of  the  church  in  the 
Confederacy  took  place  at  a  convention  held 
in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  on  July  3,  1861. 
Constitution  and  canons  were  adopted  to 
suit  the  new  conditions;  and  the  prayer- 
book  was  changed  principally  by  the  sub- 
stitution of  the  words  "  Confederate  States  " 
for  "United  States."  Various  other  con- 
ventions were  held  during  the  war.  A 


Nineteenth  Century          217 

bishop  was  elected  for  Alabama;  and  ac- 
cordingly Bishop  Wilmer  was  consecrated 
in  1862.  Also,  a  new  diocese  was  erected, 
that  of  Arkansas.  Many  of  the  clergy  be- 
came chaplains  of  regiments  on  the  South- 
ern side  and  ministered  to  the  needs  of  the 
troops  in  the  field.  One  bishop,  Leonidas 
Polk,  of  Louisiana,  left  his  diocese  and  be- 
came a  general  in  the  Confederate  service. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  having 
determined  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the 
church  shortly  after  his  graduation.  Against 
his  will,  at  the  suggestion  of  Jefferson 
Davis,  he  lay  down  the  crozier  for  the 
sword.  Men  of  military  training  were 
sorely  needed.  Pressure  was  brought  to 
bear  upon  him  and  he  yielded.  In  camp 
and  on  the  field  of  battle  he  never  per- 
formed any  ecclesiastical  act,  but  was  again 
the  soldier,  trained  and  brave.  "  I  took  the 
office  only  to  fill  a  gap,"  he  wrote  to  one 
of  his  clergy;  "only  because,  the  president, 
as  he  said,  could  find  no  one  on  whom  he 


218  The  Episcopalians 

could  with  satisfaction  devolve  its  duties." 
Polk  was  killed  in  battle,  the  little  prayer- 
book  in  his  left  breast  pocket  being  dyed 
with  his  blood. 

The  Southern  clergy  frequently  came  into 
conflict  with  the  Federal  authorities  when- 
ever the  Union  forces  were  in  control  of 
southern  cities.  General  Butler  in  1862 
sent  out  an  order  that  the  "omission,  in 
the  service  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  New  Orleans,  of  the  prayers 
for  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
would  be  regarded  as  evidence  of  hostility 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States." 
The  churches  were  forthwith  closed.  Dr. 
Wingfield  of  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  was 
severely  handled  because  he  prayed  for 
the  President  of  the  Confederate  States. 
He  was  condemned  "to  work  for  three 
months  cleaning  the  streets  of  Norfolk  and 
Portsmouth,  thus  employing  his  time  for 
the  benefit  of  that  government  he  has 
abused,"  so  ran  the  order  of  General 


Nineteenth  Century          219 

Wild,  "and  in  a  small  way  to  atone  for 
his  disloyalty  and  treason."  Fortunately 
General  Butler  remitted  the  order  of  his 
inferior  officer.  Bishop  Wilmer  wrote  a 
personal  letter  to  President  Lincoln  and 
General  Butler's  persecution  ceased. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  was  loyal  to  the  Union.  It 
never  faltered;  though  the  strange  spectacle 
was  presented,  by  Bishop  Hopkins  of  Ver- 
mont, of  one  leader  who  upheld  slavery  and 
refused  to  read  the  pastoral  letter,  written 
by  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  for  the  General  Conven- 
tion of  1862,  because  of  its  sentiments  of 
loyalty  to  the  government.  At  this  con- 
vention a  resolution  was  passed  expressing 
the  sense  of  duty  on  the  part  of  the  mem- 
bers of  sustaining  and  defending  the 
country  in  the  great  struggle  and  pledging 
to  the  national  government  "  the  earnest 
and  devout  prayers  of  us  all  that  its  efforts 
may  be  so  guided  by  wisdom  and  re- 
plenished with  strength  that  they  may 


22O  The  Episcopalians 

be  crowned  with  speedy  and  complete 
success,  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
restoration  of  our  beloved  Union." 

No  Southern  delegates  were  present  at 
this  general  convention.  The  name,  how- 
ever, of  every  Southern  diocese  was  called 
in  roll-call.  Secession  could  not  be  recog- 
nized in  the  church  any  more  than  it  was 
in  the  nation.  The  vacant  places  were 
kept  waiting  for  the  return. 

The  most  conspicuous  service  rendered 
by  any  one  churchman  was  that  of  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  of  Ohio,  a  noble  man  of  dignity 
and  force.  President  Lincoln  selected  him 
to  go  to  England  with  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Archbishop  Hughes,  and  Thurlow 
Weed,  as  an  informal  ambassador  to  influ- 
ence Englishmen  and  show  them  the  true 
causes  of  the  war.  Beecher  by  his  won- 
derful speeches  in  English  cities  did  much 
to  win  to  the  Northern  side  the  sympathies 
of  the  people.  Mcllvaine,  appealing  to  a 
different  class  among  the  nobility  and 


Nineteenth  Century          221 

ecclesiastics  of  England,  exercised  almost 
as  great  an  influence  and  helped  to  en- 
lighten the  rulers  concerning  the  aims  and 
policy  of  the  United  States  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  secession.  He  was  well  received 
everywhere,  and  succeeded  in  his  under- 
taking when  it  looked  as  if  England  would 
recognize  the  Confederacy. 

When  the  war  was  over  and  there  were 
no  Confederate  States  the  way  was  opened 
for  a  return  of  the  southern  churchmen. 
At  first  the  secessionists  did  not  know  how 
they  would  be  received.  The  general  con- 
vention of  1865  soon  made  it  plain  to  them. 
Two  southern  bishops  appeared  at  the 
opening  service  held  in  Philadelphia. 
They  were  recognized.  The  Bishop  of 
North  Carolina  was  urged  by  his  brethren 
to  join  the  bishops  in  the  chancel.  He 
yielded  and  took  his  place  at  the  altar. 
Then  an  inquiry  was  sent  to  the  House  of 
Bishops  asking  on  what  terms  they  could 
be  admitted.  The  answer  was  a  recom- 


222  The  Episcopalians 

mendation  to  them  "to  trust  to  the  honor 
and  love  of  their  assembled  brethren."  All 
obstacles  were  removed  and  the  church 
soon  became  united  again. 


CHAPTER  IX 

PROGRESS 

SINCE  the  nation  became  united  again  and 
all  the  citizens  have  worked  harmoniously 
for  the  development  of  the  country,  the 
growth  of  the  United  States  in  population, 
resources,  and  power  has  been  wonderful. 
The  increase  of  every  form  of  activity,  the 
new  inventions,  the  creation  of  new  busi- 
ness, the  extension  of  commerce,  the  multi- 
plication of  educational  institutions,  the 
fresh  literary  impulses  and  the  deepening 
of  the  consciousness  of  national  usefulness, 
have  created  a  spirit  of  energy  which  seeks 
an  outlet  in  innumerable  channels  of 
progress.  The  church  has  been  quick  to 
respond  to  the  revival  of  national  life;  for 
its  members  are  made  up  of  the  men  and 
women  of  the  day  who  draw  from  the 
223 


224  The  Episcopalians 

church  the  ideals  of  living,  and  endeavor  to 
carry  them  out  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
ditions in  which  they  find  themselves 
placed.  The  preparation  for  the  expan- 
sion had  long  been  slowly  perfecting. 
The  church  had  organized  itself  in  the 
new  nation  in  harmony  with  the  national 
institutions.  It  had  spread  itself  gradually 
until  it  had  become  coterminous  with  the 
national  domain.  There  were  bishops  in 
every  state  and  territory,  with  the  be- 
ginnings of  diocesan  life.  The  war  left  the 
church  united.  The  movements  towards 
organization  at  home  and  missions  abroad 
had  already  started;  and  now  the  church 
was  ready  for  the  strengthening  of  the 
foundations  and  the  extension  and  concen- 
tration of  the  work. 

Early  among  the  signs  of  an  enlargement 
in  the  conception  of  the  church's  duty  has 
been  the  foundation  of  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. The  training  of  an  effective  ministry 
was  soon  seen  to  be  a  matter  of  the  first  im- 


Progress  225 

portance.  Preachers  and  pastors,  the  peers 
of  educated  men,  with  spiritual  earnestness, 
are  always  needed  for  leadership.  In  colo- 
nial days  the  young  candidate  for  orders 
was  trained  in  the  household  of  some  wise 
parish  minister.  There  was  a  simplicity 
about  this  method  which  often  produced 
excellent  results.  Theological  learning, 
however,  requires  system  and  the  sympa- 
thetic contact  with  men  who  are  specialists 
and  expert  in  some  department  of  religious 
thought.  Seminaries  of  sacred  learning 
have  become  a  necessity.  The  Virginia 
Seminary  and  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  of  New  York  had  already  been 
established;  and  they  have  grown  greatly 
in  effectiveness  and  usefulness.  Others 
were  also  needed.  The  Philadelphia  Di- 
vinity School  under  the  wise  oversight  of 
Bishop  Alonzo  Potter  was  founded  in  1862. 
It  was  provided  especially  for  those  students 
who  because  of  the  war  could  not  go  to 
Virginia.  It  has  had  a  distinguished  history 


226  The  Episcopalians 

and  has  sent  into  the  ministry  many  strong 
men.  The  Episcopal  Theological  School  of 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  came  next,  being 
really  founded  by  Mr.  Benjamin  T.  Reed  in 
1867,  although  efforts  had  been  made  before 
to  start  it  on  a  successful  career.  In  the 
same  city  with  Harvard  University,  the 
students  have  always  had  the  advantage  of 
close  association  with  the  intellectual  life  of 
the  great  university.  The  school  has  been 
independent  of  all  parties,  and  has  stood  for 
truth,  Christ,  and  the  Church.  In  scholar- 
ship it  has  been  fearless;  in  spirit  it  has 
been  Catholic ;  and  in  practical  Christianity 
the  aim  has  been  to  produce  above  all 
things  else  manliness  in  the  ministry  of  the 
church.  Elisha  Mulford  was  a  lecturer  here. 
George  Hodges,  an  authority  on  social  ques- 
tions in  relation  to  Christianity,  is  the  pres- 
ent Dean.  The  Berkeley  Divinity  School  at 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  began  in  1850; 
and  under  the  influence  of  Bishop  Williams 
it  trained  students  in  devout  and  conserva- 


Progress  227 

tive  churchmanship,  making  them  human 
and  responsive  to  the  best  thought  of  the 
time.  Nashotah,  founded  in  1842,  has  con- 
tinued its  work.  The  men  prepared  there 
have  been  versed  in  certain  aspects  of 
church  history  and  have  been  ready  to 
minister  to  the  growing  demands  of  the 
West.  The  Seabury  Divinity  School  at 
Faribault,  begun  in  1857  by  Bishop 
Breck,  has  grown  in  importance  under 
the  guidance  of  Bishop  Whipple,  the 
"Apostle  to  the  Indians,"  and  seems 
destined  to  be  a  place  of  spiritual  inspira- 
tion and  modern  scholarship.  Chicago  also 
has  a  school  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  which  has  good  prospects.  To 
prepare  negro  clergy  there  have  been  pro- 
vided Hoffman  Hall  in  Nashville,  King 
Hall  in  Washington,  St.  Augustine's  in 
Raleigh,  and  the  Bishop  Paine  Divinity 
School  in  Petersburg. 

Of  colleges  there  have  been  also  a  goodly 
number.     St.    Stephen's,    Annandale,    the 


228  The  Episcopalians 

child  of  Horatio  Potter,  has  furnished  many 
students  for  the  ministry.  Its  date  is  1860. 
A  new  career  of  greater  usefulness  seems  to 
be  opening  before  it.  Racine  College  owes 
its  greatest  effectiveness  to  Dr.  De  Koven, 
who  always  had  ambitions  for  its  suc- 
cess. Lehigh  University  was  endowed  by 
a  churchman,  Asa  Parker,  and  as  one  of 
the  small  colleges,  has  always  maintained  a 
high  standard  and  continues  to  make  a 
place  for  itself  among  American  institu- 
tions. The  University  of  the  South,  at 
Sewanee,  conceived  first  by  Bishop  Polk 
in  1856,  has  grown  to  be  a  university  of  the 
first  rank.  The  professors  have  been  chosen 
with  rare  foresight;  and  the  spirit  that  ani- 
mates the  place  is  scholarly  and  scientific. 
In  its  numerous  departments  it  will  increas- 
ingly minister  to  the  South.  "  The  Univer- 
sity of  the  South,"  says  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors, "was  conceived  in  the  most 
Catholic  spirit  and  is  designed  to  be  in  the 
truest  sense  broad  and  comprehensive." 


Progress  229 

Of  schools  there  have  been  a  great  abun- 
dance. These  have  been  for  boys  and 
girls;  they  have  both  prepared  for  college, 
or  fitted  for  immediate  entrance  into  life. 
They  have  had  their  own  traditions,  and  the 
students  have  become  as  devoted  to  them 
as  men  are  to  their  colleges.  Church  influ- 
ence, surrounding  young  people  at  an  im- 
pressionable age,  has  left  an  impress  upon 
them  which  can  never  be  obliterated.  St. 
Paul's  school,  Concord,  New  Hampshire, 
made  famous  by  Henry  Augustus  Coit,  has 
been  one  of  the  most  important  boys' 
schools  in  America.  Infused  with  the  spirit 
of  the  church  it  has  prepared  young  men 
for  college  and  given  them  a  lasting  remem- 
brance of  high  ideals  and  religious  earnest- 
ness. The  high  school  at  Alexandria  has 
done  the  same  for  its  many  students.  At 
Groton,  Massachusetts,  Dr.  Endicott  Pea- 
body  has  created  an  institution  which  com- 
bines the  best  traditions  of  the  English 
schools  with  the  progressiveness  of  Amer- 


230  The  Episcopalians 

ican  ideas.  Educated  himself  at  Cambridge, 
England,  he  saw  the  chance  in  America  of 
welding  together  the  best  ideals  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  scholarship  and  character  and  the 
impulsive  and  strenuous  characteristics  of 
the  new  Republic.  He  has  succeeded  in 
creating  an  institution  which  while  intensely 
democratic  in  spirit  cultivates  refinement 
and  gentleness  and  the  spirit  to  serve.  St. 
Mark's,  Southborough,  is  a  school  of  the 
same  kind.  The  head  master,  Rev.  William 
G.  Thayer,  trained  in  the  methods  of  Gro- 
ton,  is  carrying  out  the  best  ideals  of  what 
a  school  should  be  and  deserves  the  success 
which  is  being  attained.  There  are  other 
schools  for  boys  too  numerous  to  mention. 
In  almost  every  diocese  the  value  of  early 
training  is  recognized  and  many  of  the 
bishops  are  proud  of  the  schools  which 
they  have  established. 

Girls'  schools  have  been  especially  suc- 
cessful. St.  Mary's,  Garden  City;  St.  Ag- 
nes', Albany;  St.  Mary's,  Burlington,  New 


Progress  231 

Jersey;  the  Cathedral  School  at  Washing- 
ton; and  the  schools  in  many  of  the  mis- 
sionary dioceses  have  reared  young  women 
to  make  the  best  of  their  lives  and  have 
fitted  them  for  motherhood  and  womanly 
influence. 

Organizations  of  the  general  church  have 
grown  in  great  numbers  and  have  done 
effective  work.  The  Woman's  Auxiliary 
to  the  Board  of  Missions  has  systematized 
the  women's  interest  in  missions.  By  hav- 
ing branches  in  every  diocese  and  in  most 
of  the  parishes  the  Auxiliary  has  been  an 
important  means  of  disseminating  informa- 
tion concerning  missionary  work  and  has 
contributed  large  sums  of  money  to  its  sup- 
port. The  American  Church  Building  Com- 
mission, founded  in  1880,  has  the  worthy 
object  of  raising  a  fund  for  the  building  of 
churches  and  rectories.  The  Church  So- 
ciety for  Promoting  Christianity  among  the 
Jews  has  labored  with  success  in  leading 
many  Hebrews  to  accept  the  New  Testa- 


232  The  Episcopalians 

ment  as  well  as  the  Old  Testament  and  be- 
come followers  of  Christ.  The  Commission 
for  Church  Work  among  the  Colored  People, 
created  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  in  1886,  has  faithfully  dealt 
with  the  Negro  problem  in  its  relation  to 
the  church  and  has  had  the  oversight  of 
many  missions  in  the  South.  The  General 
Clergy  Relief  Fund  is  striving  to  provide 
suitable  pensions  for  aged  and  infirm  clergy 
and  to  give  annuities  to  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  deceased  clergymen. 

The  activity  and  vitality  of  the  church  are 
shown  by  the  establishment  of  numerous 
other  organizations  dealing  with  varied 
phases  of  American  life.  Many  of  these 
societies  sprang  from  individual  initiative, 
but  soon  grew  to  such  proportions  that 
they  are  characteristic  of  the  church  as  a 
whole.  One  of  the  most  significant  of 
these  societies  is  the  Brotherhood  of  St. 
Andrew,  the  object  of  which  is  the  spread 
of  Christ's  Kingdom  among  men.  It  is  a 


Progress  233 

laymen's  organization,  and  stands  for 
prayer  and  service;  and  has  succeeded  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  by  conventions  and  chap- 
ter meetings  and  personal  work  in  deepen- 
ing the  religious  life  of  men  in  large  num- 
bers of  parishes.  It  has  spread  to  Canada 
and  England.  There  are  over  seventeen 
hundred  chapters  with  a  membership  of 
twelve  thousand.  The  St.  Andrew's  Cross 
is  the  official  organ.  A  society  which  has 
done  a  similar  work  among  young  women 
is  the  Girls'  Friendly  Society,  started  in 
America  in  1877.  It  binds  together  church 
women  as  associates  and  young  women  as 
members  for  mutual  help.  As  an  agency 
for  stimulating  young  women  in  devotion 
to  the  church  and  cultivating  the  best  in 
their  natures  it  has  been  successful.  There 
are  over  twenty  thousand  members.  Labor 
questions  have  been  dealt  with  by  the 
Church  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Interests  of  Labor;  and  it  has  been  valuable 
in  bringing  many  of  the  working  people  to 


234  The  Episcopalians 

understand  the  ideals  of  the  church.  Dis- 
cussions between  labor  leaders  and  church- 
men have  helped  to  bring  about  harmony 
between  them.  The  American  Church 
Sunday-school  Institute  has  earnestly  la- 
bored to  make  the  Sunday-schools  more 
effective  and  to  make  the  religious  instruc- 
tion of  the  young  conform  to  the  best 
methods  of  modern  pedagogy.  The  Guild 
of  St.  Barnabas  for  Nurses  has  enrolled  in 
its  membership  many  trained  nurses  who 
have  been  led  to  see  the  religious  ideals  of 
their  profession,  and  who  have  been  con- 
spicuous in  their  devotion  to  the  sick  in  the 
hospitals  and  homes  of  the  people.  The 
Guild  has  branches  in  twenty-five  cities, 
with  a  membership  of  seventeen  hundred. 
The  Free  and  Open  Church  Association  has 
increased  the  hospitality  of  the  churches; 
the  Church  Mission  to  the  Deaf  Mutes  has 
provided  these  unfortunate  people  with  re- 
ligious services  in  the  sign  language;  the 
Church  Temperance  Society  and  the  Total 


Progress  235 

Abstinence  League  have  taught  self-control; 
and  through  coffee-houses  and  settlements 
have  fought  the  drink  evil.  Other  move- 
ments that  have  done  good  work  are,  The 
Actors'  Church  Alliance  of  America;  the 
Parochial  Missions  Society;  the  Order  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  King;  the  Church  Period- 
ical Club;  the  Guild  of  the  Holy  Cross,  and 
the  Confraternity  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
The  missionary  work  of  the  church  has 
been  done  through  the  Domestic  and  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  and  the  American 
Church  Missionary  Society.  In  the  exten- 
sion of  the  work  at  home  new  missionary 
jurisdictions  have  been  erected,  and  many 
of  the  older  missions  have  become  self- 
sustaining  dioceses.  In  the  domestic  field, 
including  Alaska,  the  Philippines,  Porto 
Rico,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  there  are 
twenty  missionary  bishops  at  work  with 
an  excellent  corps  of  clergy  and  laymen. 
In  the  expansion  of  the  church  in  America 
through  the  Western  and  Southern  States, 


236  The  Episcopalians 

some  of  the  noblest  men  have  given  their 
lives.  Randall  of  Colorado,  Clarkson  of 
Nebraska,  Hare  of  South  Dakota,  first 
bishop  appointed  for  the  Indians,  Whipple 
of  Minnesota,  Elliott  of  Western  Texas, 
Wingfield  of  Northern  California,  and 
many  others  are  names  that  will  be  remem- 
bered with  honor.  Some  of  the  newer 
missionary  jurisdictions  are,  Boise,  Ashville, 
Olympia,  Laramie,  Spokane,  Oklahoma, 
Duluth,  and  Salina.  The  church  often  has 
preceded  the  flag,  but  it  always  follows  the 
flag.  The  duty  was  quickly  realized  of 
planting  the  church  in  the  newly  acquired 
territory.  Bishop  Rowe  soon  began  his 
heroic  work  in  Alaska  where  he  has  minis- 
tered not  only  to  the  natives,  but  to  the 
great  numbers  of  Americans  drawn  thither 
by  the  discovery  of  gold.  When  Hawaii 
was  acquired  by  the  United  States  there 
was  already  an  English  church  and  bishop 
there.  Soon,  however,  an  arrangement 
was  made  by  which  a  transfer  of  the 


Progress  237 

church  was  made  to  the  church  in  America 
and  Bishop  Restarick  was  consecrated  for 
the  missionary  district  of  Honolulu  in  1902. 
Bishop  Brent  was  sent  to  the  Philippines  in 
1901.  He  has  succeeded  in  laying  the  foun- 
dations of  his  Cathedral  Church  in  Manila, 
and  has  begun  vigorous  work  for  the  com- 
munity in  his  church  settlement,  and  Dis- 
pensary of  Luke  the  Beloved  Physician. 
Missions  have  also  been  founded  in  Bagnio, 
Bontoc  and  lloilo.  In  the  missionary  dis- 
trict of  Porto  Rico,  Bishop  Van  Buren, 
consecrated  in  1902,  having  charge  also  of 
Cuba,  has  made  progress  by  building  the 
Church  of  St.  John  Baptist  at  San  Juan,  and 
sustaining  missions  at  Ponce,  Vieques,  and 
Puerto  de  Tierra. 

In  foreign  missions  the  church  has  been 
no  less  active.  Beginning  with  the  mission 
in  Liberia,  missionaries  were  sent  to  China 
in  1844,  and  to  Japan  in  1859,  to  Mexico  in 
1868,  to  Haiti  in  1874,  and  to  Brazil  in  1899. 

The    church    in    Liberia    has    had    four 


238  The  Episcopalians 

bishops,  the  present  one  being  Bishop 
Ferguson.  The  influence  of  the  church  in 
the  Negro  Republic  has  always  been  con- 
siderable, especially  in  the  Cape  Palmas  dis- 
trict. Boys'  and  girls'  schools  have  been 
successful.  The  church  in  China  has  stead- 
ily grown  in  effectiveness  through  the  suc- 
cessive administration  of  the  two  Boones, 
Bishop  Schereschewsky,  whose  translations 
of  the  Bible  for  the  use  of  the  Chinese  have 
been  of  the  first  importance,  Bishop  Graves 
of  Shanghai,  and  Bishop  Ingle  of  Hankow. 
The  development  of  a  native  ministry  and 
the  founding  of  educational  institutions  and 
medical  missions  have  been  the  aim  of  the 
missionaries  as  much  as  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel.  St.  John's  College,  Shanghai, 
has  educated  the  sons  of  many  leading 
Chinese.  St.  Luke's  Hospital  has  grown  to 
be  an  institution  of  great  value.  In  the 
Hankow  district,  the  Boone  Memorial 
School,  St.  Hildas'  School  and  St.  Peter's 
Hospital  express  the  wise  and  comprehen- 


Progress  239 

sive  plan  for  the  extension  of  the  church  in 
China.  There  are  two  missionary  districts 
in  Japan,  that  of  Tokyo  and  Kyoto.  With 
the  growth  of  the  Japanese  in  modern  cul- 
ture and  scientific  methods,  an  opening  has 
been  made  for  their  acceptance  of  Chris- 
tianity. Here  as  in  China  a  native  ministry 
has  been  trained;  and  the  church  has  min- 
istered to  the  people  through  colleges  and 
schools  and  hospitals.  Bishop  McKim, 
of  Tokyo,  has  in  his  diocese,  Trinity  Divin- 
ity School,  St.  Paul's  College,  St.  Margaret's 
School,  the  Good  Samaritan  Dispensary, 
and  St.  Luke's  Hospital;  and  Bishop  Par- 
tridge has  similar  institutions  in  Kyoto:  St. 
Agnes'  School  for  Girls,  Nara  School  for 
Boys,  St.  Barnabas'  Hospital,  and  other 
schools  and  orphanages.  In  Brazil,  Bishop 
Kinsolving  has  established  important  sta- 
tions at  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  Porto  Alegre, 
Rio  dos  Sinos  and  at  other  places. 

In  carrying  on  the  work  at  home  and 
abroad,  in  the  dioceses  and  the  missionary 


240  The  Episcopalians 

districts  the  church,  in  1903,  had  the  assist- 
ance of  five  thousand,  two  hundred  and 
twenty-three  clergy,  and  over  two  thou- 
sand lay-readers;  there  were  seven  thou- 
sand parishes  and  missions;  and  com- 
municants to  the  number  of  seven  hundred 
and  eighty-one  thousand,  representing  over 
three  million  baptized  persons  and  ad- 
herents. The  total  contributions  were  over 
fifteen  million  dollars  for  the  year.  There 
were  eighty-seven  dioceses  with  ninety 
bishops.  In  comparing  these  figures  with 
the  statistics  of  the  church  at  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  there  were 
only  eleven  dioceses  and  a  little  over  two 
hundred  clergy,  with  seven  bishops,  it  be- 
comes clear  that  the  church  has  kept  pace 
with  the  growth  of  the  country. 

With  the  expansion  of  the  church  at 
large  there  has  come  a  development  of 
diocesan  consciousness.  Compactness  and 
systematic  work  characterize  the  life  of 
the  diocese.  The  growth  of  diocesan  mis- 


Progress  241 

sions  has  been  marked;  and  in  many 
instances  the  archdeaconry  system  has 
been  introduced,  dividing  the  diocese  into 
sections  with  an  archdeacon  as  superin- 
tendent over  each.  Diocesan  boards  of 
missions  have  also  become  an  important 
element  in  the  planting  and  sustaining  of 
the  church  in  new  localities  within  the 
limits  of  the  diocese.  The  establishment 
of  the  cathedral,  not  only  as  a  bishop's 
church  but  as  an  expression  of  the  life  of 
the  diocese  as  a  whole,  making  it  a  centre 
of  religious  and  philanthropic  work  has 
become  recognized  as  a  strong  agent  in 
efficiency  and  loyalty.  There  has  also 
grown  an  enlarged  conception  of  the 
bishop's  office.  He  is  no  longer  a  mere 
ecclesiastic  but  a  leader  in  all  civic  affairs. 
He  now  has  the  opportunity  to  become  a 
publicist  and  a  statesman,  as  well  as  a 
guide  in  morals  and  religion.  Much  of  this 
wide-spread  influence  comes  from  the  per- 
sonality of  the  bishop.  A  tradition  has 


242  The  Episcopalians 

been  created  by  the  ability  and  character 
of  many  of  the  American  bishops  so  that 
the  office  easily  lends  itself  to  the  highest 
uses,  winning  the  respect  of  all  classes  of 
men.  A  diocese,  presided  over  by  a  bishop 
who  is  a  clear  minded  executive  with 
spiritual  force,  sustained  by  a  body  of 
loyal  clergy  and  supported  by  generous 
laymen,  soon  becomes  a  power  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Since  the  civil  war  a  noticeable  change 
has  also  taken  place  in  the  ideals  of 
parochial  administration.  The  parish  has 
become  more  highly  organized  with  its 
various  societies  for  doing  missionary  and 
social  work.  The  laymen  have  been  given 
more  to  do,  and  greater  responsibility  has 
been  put  upon  them.  The  services  have 
become  more  popular  in  character  since 
the  Liturgical  revision  and  enrichment 
which  were  authorized  in  1892,  together 
with  the  adoption  of  the  new  hymnal. 
Music  has  become  more  of  a  feature  in 


Progress  243 

the  services  through  the  aid  of  educated 
organists  and  choirmasters.  Boy  choirs 
and  chorus  choirs  have  been  substituted 
for  the  quartette.  More  frequent  celebra- 
tions of  the  Holy  Communion  have  become 
the  rule.  Short  services  with  vital  preach- 
ing have  been  multiplied.  The  parish 
house  has  also  become  as  much  of  a 
necessity  as  the  church.  The  rector,  aided 
by  a  group  of  assistant  ministers  or  curates, 
has  been  able  to  do  important  institutional 
work.  The  gymnasium,  the  men's  club, 
the  hoys'  club,  night  schools,  manual 
training  schools,  mothers'  meetings,  em- 
ployment bureaus,  and  loan  societies  have 
multiplied  the  usefulness  of  the  parish. 
Dispensaries  and  hospitals  are  connected 
with  many  parishes.  The  aim  has  been 
to  touch  the  total  life  of  the  people.  The 
great  city  churches  are  beehives  of  ac- 
tivity. The  smaller  parish  has  caught  the 
spirit  and  often  does  the  same  kind  of 
work  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  ideal  is  not 


244  The  Episcopalians 

that  the  parish  should  be  a  club  for  a  few 
people  who  can  support  it,  but  a  religious 
home  for  the  whole  community.  The 
conception  of  what  an  Episcopal  parish 
should  be  has  become  deepened  in  two 
directions,  worship  and  work,  both  of 
which  are  essential  in  the  idea  of  a  Chris- 
tian's duty. 

The  intellectual  life  of  the  church  had 
been  greatly  stimulated  since  the  years  of 
the  Rebellion.  For  some  years  there  was  a 
sharp  discussion,  sometimes  called  the 
Ritualistic  Controversy  in  which  there  was 
a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  certain  phrases  in  the  prayer-book 
and  as  to  the  right  to  use  in  the  church  in 
America  certain  forms  of  ritual  which 
from  time  to  time  had  been  permitted  in  the 
English  Church.  The  discussion  was  pre- 
cipitated by  the  publication  in  1866  of 
Bishop  Hopkins'  book  "The  Law  of  Ritual- 
ism." In  1867  twenty-four  bishops  de- 
clared that,  "  No  prayer-book  of  the  Church 


Progress  245 

of  England,  and  no  law  of  the  Church 
of  England,  have  any  force  of  law  in  this 
church  such  as  can  be  justly  cited  in  defense 
of  any  departure  from  the  express  law  of 
this  church."  The  Oxford  movement  had 
given  rise  to  a  party  which  claimed  that 
customs  and  ceremonies  in  use  before  the 
Reformation  or  allowed  by  Edward  VI 
were  permissible  in  the  church  in  America. 
The  action  of  the  bishops  was  intended  to 
show  that  the  laws  passed  by  the  church 
in  America  were  binding,  and  that  no  others 
were  to  be  accepted.  This  decision  ruled 
out  all  previous  enactments.  The  question 
was  agitated  in  different  General  Conven- 
tions and  at  last  in  the  Convention  of  1874 
a  canon  was  adopted  which  condemned 
"ceremonies  or  practices  not  ordained  or 
authorized  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
and  setting  forth  or  symbolizing  erroneous 
or  doubtful  doctrines."  The  erroneous 
doctrines  were  especially  the  elevation  and 
adorations  of  the  elements  in  the  Holy 


246  The  Episcopalians 

Communion.  The  rise  of  the  Catholic 
party  of  whom  Dr.  DeKoven  was  a  leader, 
was  due  to  the  earnest  conviction  of  a 
group  of  men  that  the  church  needed  to 
draw  more  freely  from  the  riches  of  its 
historic  life,  and  adapt  them  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  present.  This  contention  was 
plausible  enough.  It,  however,  failed  to  rec- 
ognize thatadistinctivechurch  in  America  had 
been  established,  capable  of  passing  its  own 
laws  and  dependent  upon  no  other  church 
for  its  enactments  and  canons.  The  Catho- 
lic party,  urging  the  acceptance  of  mediaeval 
methods  and  magnifying  the  mass  as  a  true 
expression  of  the  church  amid  modern  con- 
ditions fails  to  note  the  signs  of  the  times 
and  desires  to  turn  the  clock  backwards. 
It  is  fighting  against  the  trend  of  thought, 
and  seems  not  to  realize  that  each  epoch  has 
its  new  inspiration  and  that  the  past  must 
bury  its  dead.  The  men  who  represent  this 
tendency  are  full  of  zeal  for  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ  as  they  understand  it,  and,  by 


Progress  247 

their  earnestness  and  interest  in  earlier  days, 
contribute  an  element  of  interesting  remi- 
niscence to  the  secularity  of  modern  times. 
The  doctrine  of  Evolution  and  the 
growth  of  Higher  Criticism  made  an  im- 
press on  many  men.  There  had  been 
Low-churchmen  and  High-churchmen,  and 
now  the  Broad-churchmen  came  to  the 
front.  They  were  the  followers  of  Frederick 
Robertson,  Frederick  Denison  Maurice  and 
Dean  Stanley.  They  believed  in  facing  the 
facts  of  life  and  of  history  in  the  light  of 
human  reason;  they  considered  that  God's 
revelations  were  confined  to  no  special  cen- 
tury; his  revelations  were  continuous  and 
suited  to  the  conditions  in  which  humanity 
found  itself  in  the  varying  needs  of  dif- 
ferent centuries.  Their  cry  was  "back  to 
Christ."  They  obliterated  the  intervening 
centuries  and  tried  to  discover  what  the 
Master  had  taught.  Christ's  message  to 
modern  life  was  more  important  than  the 
church's  message.  It  was  no  new  party 


248  The  Episcopalians 

that  was  created,  but  an  attitude  of  mind 
among  many  earnest  thinkers,  who  sought 
to  appropriate  and  sanctify  for  spiritual  pur- 
poses the  latest  results  of  scholarship  and 
the  new  light  that  had  been  received.  Dr. 
Edward  A.  Washburn  was  a  leader  in  this 
movement,  and  Phillips  Brooks  brought  it  to 
the  climax.  The  revelation  of  God  in  con- 
temporary life  was  the  watchword,  and  the 
intense  union  with  Christ  through  the  doing 
of  Christ's  work,  in  following  his  example 
and  living  in  his  spirit  had  almost  the  force 
of  a  dogma. 

Phillips  Brooks,  one  of  the  greatest  of 
American  personalities,  a  preacher  of  unique 
power  and  a  theologian  of  epoch-making 
force,  who  was  known  as  well  in  England 
as  America,  was  the  embodiment  of  the 
Broad  Church  movement.  The  doctrine 
of  the  Incarnation  was  his  main  theme. 
God  in  humanity,  in  history,  in  the  new 
century,  and  in  each  man's  life,  was  the 
burden  of  his  thought.  As  to  the  church, 


Progress  249 

he  was  willing  to  recognize  the  numerous 
currents  of  thought  and  to  give  them  all  a 
place  within  the  comprehensive  institution. 
He  stood  for  abundance  of  life;  and  never 
desired  to  limit  the  church  to  the  control  of 
any  one  set  of  men.  In  Boston  and 
throughout  the  country,  he  always  urged 
freedom  of  thought  and  variety  of  belief 
as  the  best  way  of  attaining  the  unity  of 
faith.  Broad-churchmen,  while  they  up- 
held the  catholicity  of  the  church,  never 
ceased  to  advocate  the  simple  following  of 
Christ,  without  any  historical  additions,  as 
the  surest  way  to  help  humanity,  and  to 
make  the  church  an  indispensable  factor  in 
the  redemption  of  the  world. 

The  sermons  of  Phillips  Brooks,  and  his 
"Lectures  on  Preaching"  and  "The  Influ- 
ence of  Jesus,"  were  important  books  in 
impressing  the  church  with  the  ideas  of 
personal  loyalty  to  Christ.  Dr.  Washburn's 
"Sermons"  had  the  same  purpose.  Prof. 
A.  V.  G.  Allen's,  "The  Continuity  of 


250  The  Episcopalians 

Christian  Thought,"  and  Elisha  Mulford's 
two  books,  "The  Nation  "and  "The  Re- 
public of  God,"  were  designed  to  show 
that  there  had  always  been  liberal  thought 
in  the  church,  and  that  the  spiritual  interpre- 
tation of  civic  and  religious  life  was  a  pri- 
mary element  in  the  teaching  of  Christ. 
"The  Church  Idea,"  by  William  Reed 
Huntington,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  New 
York,  and  "  The  Relation  of  Christianity  to 
Civil  Society,"  by  Bishop  Harris,  and  "The 
Primary  Truths  of  Religion,"  by  Bishop 
Clark  of  Rhode  Island,  were  successful  at- 
tempts to  show  that  the  fundamental  con- 
ceptions of  Christ  were  applicable  to  the 
needs  of  the  individual  and  to  the  require- 
ments of  society.  This  intellectual  fermen- 
tation has  given  the  church  balance  and 
directness;  and  has  increased  mental 
acumen  on  the  one  hand,  while  it  has 
prompted  seriousness  and  devotion  on  the 
other. 
The  church  in  America  may  now  be  con- 


Progress  25 1 

sidered  to  be  an  institution,  directly  de- 
scended from  apostolic  time,  bearing  the 
impress  of  Anglo-Saxon  Christianity  and 
drawing  its  inspiration  from  the  original 
Church  of  Christ,  modified  by  British, 
Saxon,  Norman,  and  English  influences. 
Founded  in  America  it  has  a  message  to  the 
energetic  and  dominant  spirit  of  the  age. 
By  intelligent  conservatism  and  consecrated 
modernity  it  seeks  to  lead  men  to  both  the 
ancient  revelation,  the  preserved  truth  of 
the  past,  and  the  new  light  which  God  is 
shedding  upon  the  progress  of  the  world. 
In  the  presence  of  materialism  the  church 
proclaims  the  reality  of  spiritual  forces;  in 
contrast  to  the  worldliness  of  society  the 
church  holds  up  the  ideals  of  Christ;  as  a 
leaven  in  society  the  church  emphasizes  the 
eternal  truths  of  righteousness;  and  hopes 
to  lead  men  to  God  and  eternal  life.  The 
means  may  be  inadequate;  many  errors 
may  have  been  committed,  and  the  selfish 
human  element  may  have  entered  in.  With 


252  The  Episcopalians 

all  imperfections,  the  church  still  stands 
as  an  historic  institution  which  points  men 
to  moral  living,  to  duty  to  fellow  men 
and  duty  to  God  and  to  eternal  life  in  the 
world  to  come.  As  one  traces  the  history 
of  the  church,  one  soon  perceives  that  there 
is  the  unchangeable  connection  with  Christ 
even  through  alienation  and  apostasy.  He 
is  the  motive  power;  and  he  has  never  been 
left  without  a  witness.  The  Episcopal 
Church  must  always  make  its  appeal  to  those 
who  love  history  in  its  fullness,  who  regard 
primitive  order,  and  who  seek  for  the  truth 
beneath  the  outward  confusion,  and  who 
find  the  spirit  of  the  Englishman  and  the 
American  united  in  the  Catholic  Church  of 
their  forefathers. 


The  Storv  of  the  Churches 

A  NEW  VOLUME 

THE 

CONGREGATIONALISTS 


LEONARD  W.  BACON,  D.D. 

Author  of  "A   History  tf  American  Christianity" 

i2mo,  with  frontispiece,  net,  $1.00 

(Postage  8  cents) 

Dr.  Bacon  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  pungent 
writers  of  the  day  on  religious  topics.  His  great  work, 
"A  History  of  American  Christianity,"  is  known  every- 
where to  students  of  religious  history,  and  his  briefer 
works  are  distinguished  by  strength  and  straight-from- 
the-shoulder  qualities,  which  make  them  very  popular. 
His  history  of  the  Congregationalists  is  sure  to  attract 
the  widest  attention,  and  to  excite  much  criticism. 

Alex.  V.  G.  Allen,  Chester,  Nova  Scotia,  of  the 
Episcopal  Theological  Seminary  at  Cambridge  : 

"  Every  one  must  be  charmed,  I  think,  with  its  fairness,  its 
moderation,  its  genial  and  Christian  tone.  The  only  fault  is  the 
book  is  too  small,  too  short.  When  the  man  and  the  subject  met 
as  in  this  case  the  result  should  have  been  more  ample  space  for 
discussion.  At  any  rate,  it  must  prove  a  classic  on  the  subject." 

New  York  Sun:  "  The  little  volume  is  admirable.  It  is  writ- 
ten with  due  sense  of  proportion,  it  relates  the  things  that  have 
really  told,  and  tells  the  story  of  the  most  American  of  all  the 
religious  denominations  in  a  manner  that  is  at  once  enlightening 
and  suggestive  Moreover,  it  is  put  in  English  that  is  worth 
reading  for  its  own  sake." 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co.,  Publishers 

33-37  East  1 7th  St.,  Union  Sq.  North,  New  York 


The    Story    of  the    Churches 
THE 

METHODISTS 

By  JOHN  ALFRED  FAULKNER,  D.D. 

Professor  of  Historical  Theology  in  Dreiv  Theological  Seminary 
SMALL  IZMO,  WITH  FRONTISPIECE,  NET,  $1.00  (POSTAGE  8  CTS.) 


THE  object  of  this  series  is  to  furnish  brief  his- 
tories of  the  several  denominations  written  by 
the  leading  historians  of  each  sect.     The  books 
will  average  only  about  forty  thousand  words,  250  to 
300  pages,  and  are  calculated  to  interest  the  average 
church   member   as    well    as    the    student    of  church 
history. 

No  man  is  better  qualified  to  write  the  history  of 
the  Methodists  than  Dr.  Faulkner.  His  position,  his 
standing  as  a  student,  and  his  skill  as  a  writer,  are 
all  guarantees  of  the  excellence  of  this  volume. 

The  scope  of  his  work  includes  the  rise  of  Wes- 
ley in  England;  the  planting  and  early  organization  of 
'the  church  in  America;  the  first  conferences;  the 
growth  of  the  church  and  its  relation  to  the  country 
as  a  whole,  all  told  fully,  yet  in  the  brief  and  popular 
style  at  which  the  series  aims. 

THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  Co.,  Publishers 

33-37   East   I yth  St.,   Union  Sq.  North,  New  York 


The  Story  of  the  Churches 

THE   BAPTISTS 


HENRY  C.  VEDDER,  D.D. 

Professor  of  Church  History  in  Crozer  Theological  Seminary 

Small  i2mo,  with  frontispiece,  net,  $1.00 

(Postage  B  cents) 

The  object  of  this  series  is  to  furnish  brief  his- 
tories of  the  several  denominations  written 
by  the  leading  historians  of  each  sect.  The 
books  will  average  only  about  forty  thou- 
sand words  and  are  calculated  to  interest 
the  average  church  member  as  well  as  the 
student  of  Church  history. 

Dr.  Vedder  is  an  authority  on  American  Church 
History  and  a  specialist  in  the  history  of 
the  Baptists.  He  has  a  sprightly  but  vig- 
orous style,  and  a  manner  of  expressing  his 
ideas  which  is  pleasing  in  its  clearness  and 
brevity. 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co.,  Publishers 

33-37  East  I7th  St.,  Union  Sq.  North,  New  York 


The  Story  of  the  Churches 

THE 
PRESBYTERIANS 

BY 

CHARLES  L.  THOMPSON,  D.D. 

Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  tht 

Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 

States  of  America 

Small  12010,  with  frontispiece,  net,  $i  oo 

(Postage  8  cents) 

The  object  of  this  series  is  to  furnish  brief  his- 
tories of  the  several  denominations  written 
by  the  leading  historians  of  each  sect.  The 
books  will  average  only  about  forty  thou- 
sand words  and  are  calculated  to  interest 
the  average  church  member  as  well  as  the 
student  of  church  history. 

No  position  in  a  denomination  brings  a  man 
more  closely  in  touch  with  the  present  work 
and  history  of  a  church  than  the  secretary- 
ship of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions.  Dr. 
Charles  L.  Thompson  has  held  this  position 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  several  years 
and  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the  history 
of  the  church.  His  book  -,s  not  only 
authoritative,  but  written  in  a  style  full  of 
life  and  interest. 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co.,  Publishers 

33-37  East  i7th  St.,  Union  Sq.  North,  New  York 


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